New Familiar New Trouble
by Lord of the Magi
Summary: Louise asks for a mysterious and powerful familiar to come to her service. She gets what she asks for, but her new familiar does not particularity like the way things are done in Tristain and decides to mix things up a little. Magic isn't just for nobles.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in here except for my OC's I make no money off of writing this and I hope nobody thinks that I do. I wrote this to amuse myself and hopefully a few other people nothing more.**

**Chapter One: More trouble than he's worth**

"Heed my calling oh fount of power and mystery. I beg of you come to me being of awe inspiring power. Hear my heart's plea as I call to you. Summon forth my familiar!"

What came next was to be expected from an incantation cast by Louise the Zero, a deafening explosion and a large cloud of dust. The gathered students were just recovering their footing and dusting themselves off as the dust cleared to reveal a lone figure standing in the rapidly fading cloud of destruction. The figure was unlike any that had been summoned thus far in the day. The most obvious difference was that it was not some sort of powerful magical creature or even a more mundane animal. The Zero had managed to call into her service a tall man in a strange wide brimmed hat with a long black overcoat that came down to around his ankles and obscured the rest of his figure from view. He looked to be somewhere in his early twenties but wore squared rimmed glassed like an older person would. If anything he looked more like some sort of foreign businessman than a soon to be magical familiar.

The gathered students proceeded to burst out into loud mocking Laughter. "The Zero has summoned a commoner as her familiar," called a rather well endowed redhead.

"How fitting for such a failure, it compliments her success rate thus far quite well," chimed a flamboyant blond boy from the side of an equally smug blonde girl.

"Congratulations Louise you have successfully cast the spell now you must complete the bonding," said a balding man from beside a small strawberry blonde girl.

"…But Professor Colbert must I, surely if you give me one more chance I can summon a proper familiar and not some sort of shabby commoner," She pleaded while eyeballing the new arrival.

"I am sorry Miss Vallière but the springtime summoning ceremony is sacred and once a student successfully calls forth something they must stick with what they get and complete the bonding. Now if you would be so kind as to hurry up there is another group of students scheduled soon and we need to clear the area." _'Besides she has already tried three times to get him, founder knows how long it would take to get anything else.'_

At the same time the stranger was taking in the scene and trying to make sense of where he was while lightly coughing from the smoke. '_Where did I wind up this time and why is there so much bloody smoke? I sure hope whoever brought me here has a good excuse. It looks like I've been brought to some sort of medieval castle filled with children, so a school perhaps? They do all seem to be wearing some kind of uniform after all.' _It was around this time that he noticed the small girl talking animatedly with a balding man in robes holding a staff. '_Well you don't see that every day. He looks like a priest of some kind, perhaps this is a monastery then? Or maybe I just stumbled into a LARP scene. That would certainly explain a lot, but if that were the case how did I get here and why do I smell some sort of explosion in the air. I'll go along with this for now and see how things shape up but someone better give me some answers pretty damn quick._' At this time the small pink haired girl marched toward him with a look somewhere between disappointment and fury. Either way there was definitely fire behind her odd rose colored eyes.

"You there, commoner, kneel down here to where I can see your face clearly," she directed the seemingly confused man. He returned the order with a look of amusement and decided to speak a few sentences in a language that none of the gathered students nor did Professor Colbert understand. This elicited another burst of ridicule from the crowd after he became quiet again.

"Not only does the Zero summon a commoner, but she summons one who cannot even speak our language," said the busty tart from before. "She really is an utter failure at magic."

_'So that is what this is, a magic ritual of some kind, well if this little girl managed to call me then she is surely more than a zero. Surely a free thinking individual has to rank higher than a cat or an owl. I am definitely better than blond boy's giant mole looking thing.' _To end the taunting of the poor he complied with her requests and knelt down to her eye level a little more than a foot below his own.

'_Ugh why did I have to summon a commoner of all things, even if he is rather attractive I still deserve better than this. If Mother or Father ever found out about this along with my other failures they would probably pull me out of the academy. Guess there is nothing I can do about this now is there.' "_Be thankful commoner even if you can't understand me this is a privilege one like you would normally live your whole life without experiencing." She then began to chant, "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar."Louise then proceeded to seal the contract with a kiss, to think that her first kiss would be given to some incomprehensible commoner. Shortly thereafter glowing runes appeared on her new familiar's hand that should have been extremely painful, but just caused him to look at them in moderate annoyance.

He then spoke, "Well it seems to me that you have successfully managed to do what you were attempting with whatever witchcraft you cast on me. Seeing that you have given me your name I will introduce myself as well," he started in a strange dialect of heavily accented Halkeginian. "I am Therum Magnus and I can speak French or whatever your name for this language is quite well. As a matter of fact I am well versed in quite a few languages. I am also well versed in many other fields of study such as history, engineering, and other scientific fields. I did not say anything before the contract was made because I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. The sentences you heard earlier were just a formal diplomatic greeting from my homeland. I was trying to be polite, something you kids seem to be unfamiliar with. Now would anyone here like to tell me what is going on here and why I have been branded on my left hand?"

"Familiar summoning and contract runes," answered a blue haired girl from behind a large tome of some sort.

The priestly looking man decided to elaborate a bit more. "We have just finished the Springtime Summoning Ritual where second year students call fourth their familiar who will serve and protect them for life unless one of the party dies in an unnatural manner. Since you appeared after her 'call' and have those runes on your hand, you have been contracted as Miss Vallière's familiar. May I take a closer look at your runes? I do not recall a student ever calling forth a human familiar before." Therum shrugs and holds out his hand for inspection while Colbert makes some notes on a scrap of paper from one of his pockets.

"Ok let me see if I understand this. I was 'summoned' by Louise here to be her butler and bodyguard until one of us dies. I don't have a choice in the matter and there isn't anything I can do about it." Professor Colbert and a very confused Louise nod. "So basically I am her slave, because I doubt any of the other familiars are getting paid."

"Not at all Mister Magnus, the master- familiar bond is a symbiotic bond where through your connection you should both be better off than if you were alone," replied Colbert.

"So then we are married in all but name, is that what you are telling me? I have lost my freedom to go where I please, I am now expected to care for the well being of an attractive young lady and I bear a symbol on my left hand that marks me as someone else's man. That sounds an awful lot like marriage to me." Therum was fighting a smirk at this point when he noticed how red Louise had become at his statement. Everyone else in the crowd had also become much quieter at this comment.

"I had never really thought of such a comparison before because like I mentioned earlier, human familiars are not supposed to be summoned. I do suppose that some comparisons can be made between the familiar bond and a marriage but I assure you that you are not legally married to Miss Vallière at this time. I will leave the rest of the explanations to her. I have some research I need to take care of now."

"I do not know what gave you that idea about being married to me but I assure you that a noble with as high of a standing as me would never marry a commoner like you. As long as you remember your place and keep weird thoughts like that to yourself this arrangement should not have to be any worse than it already is. For starters you are to address me as master from here on out and follow my order without question is that clear?" Therum just shrugs at her and becomes very interested in his finger nails. "Let's go, it has been a long day and I grow tired from all of your antics." The rest of the students and the professor had already taken to the air and where flying towards the castle with practiced ease, which left the newly formed duo to walk back to the castle proper in pensive silence.

***BREAK***

Back at the castle in Louise's room Therum took stock of what would probably be his shared living quarters for the foreseeable future, or until the stuck up little girl aggravated him enough to ... _'Interesting, it appears that the runes prevented me from actively plotting her downfall this may be more of a pain than I first thought. On the other hand she and several of her classmates are quite cute; maybe this won't be too bad, even if I can't touch.' _ "Louise where am I to sleep at night I only see one bed in this room and I doubt you would be comfortable sharing it with a grown man such as me."

"First of all commoner as I have already stated, I am a noble and you should address me as master and second your bed is over there," she pointed to a pile of straw in the corner.

"No. There is no way that I am going sleep on a pile of straw like some sort of pet. I will make other arrangements myself if I must but I am not sleeping in a haystack. Another thing, why do you keep calling me commoner I told you my name is Therum Magnus, so please try to use it." Louise twitched but remained silent. "While we are at it would you mind telling me where exactly we are and what is expected of me as your familiar."

"You must be from some really strange backwater region to not know this but as I am a kind and gracious master I will humor you this once," Therum frowned at her statement. "We are currently at the Tristain Academy of Magic one of the most prestigious schools of magic in all of Halkeginia. You were summoned by me to be my familiar for life or until one of us dies. You duties as you put it are to do anything I tell you but most importantly to be a companion and protector should the need arise. As to why I call you commoner, that is what you are. Those who can cast magic are nobles and those that cannot are a commoner that is the way things have always been."

"So the ability to cast magic is all it takes to become a noble here? What about those with immense finances but no magical ability or those with no station but the ability to cast some simple magic spells? If a child were to be born into a noble family and not have magical ability would they just be cast out? This system seems a bit flawed if you ask me" The girl twitched at the last part of his statement.

Louise sighed, "Such a troublesome familiar you are. There are always exceptions to the rule, like if someone commits a grave crime they can be stripped of their noble status and those with enough money can buy a title in some countries such as those barbaric Germanians. Now I grow tired of all of this questioning. Be a good servant and help me prepare for bed. My dressing gown is in the wardrobe there on the far wall." Therum took a seat at the small desk next to the bed.

"I will assist you when you show me at least a moderate amount of respect little master, the least of which would be using my name when requesting something. You know nothing of my past or what I am capable of. While I may not be of noble birth like you are, I will not be talked down to by anybody?"

"Why you disrespectful familiar I will teach you not to talk back to your betters." Out of nowhere she had a whip in her hand and made to use it on her uppity servant. Only instead of a cry of pain she heard the snapping of a piece of wood. Somehow Therum had managed to not only intercept her riding crop before he was struck, but also managed to snap it in two before Louise could react. Louise was terrified by the look of rage burning in Therum's eyes.

"I give you this warning Louise de la Vallière, while these runes will not allow me to harm you directly I can make your life very difficult. On the other hand,I can also be one of the nicest people you will ever meet and go through unbelievable efforts to assist you in a time of need. All I ask is to be treated with a little respect. Where I come from we have something called the 'Golden Rule'. It states that you should treat others how you want to be treated, regardless of station. So if you try to whip me again, I will give you a spanking you will never forget." He then pushed in the chair he had previously used, walked over to the wardrobe gathered her night clothes and handed them to her with a surprisingly warm smile. "I am going to take a stroll around the grounds and get myself acquainted will you need anything else miss Vallière?

"Yes please Therum if you wouldn't mind doing the laundry next to the wardrobe and wake me up at dawn I would appreciate it," she said in a trembling voice. She wasn't about to ask him to help dress her now.

"There now master that wasn't so hard was it? I will do as you wish. Sleep well and I will see you in the morning." With that he left, his long strange coat billowing behind him like some sort of cloak, or a cape.

***BREAK***

It was still fairly early by Therum's standards considering that it seemed to be early spring here and the sun had set sometime during his conversation with Louise. '_I guess that I should tackle this laundry first seeing that I don't particularly want to carry this basket around the whole stupid castle. I wonder where the wash room is.' _He was jostled from his musing when he tripped over a young woman in what appeared to be a maid uniform who had been sweeping up a pile of dust on the floor. They both went to the floor with Therum showing exactly how many languages he can curse in. The girl blushed furiously at the few words she understood from the man.

"I am so sorry miss are you alright I was lost in thought trying to think of a way to find the laundry room. I should learn to pay more attention to where I am going."

"I am fine milord no need to worry about me," the cute maid bowed once she had regained her footing. She then noticed the basket of clothing that had been scattered across the floor. The man was hunched over collecting the clearly feminine articles. "If you like I could take care of that for you seeing as that is my job and all." She gave him an adorable smile.

"I would rather not trouble you with unnecessary work miss, and please none of this milord business I am no noble. Even if I were I think I could handle a little laundry." At this the bowing maid got her first really good look at the man who had stumbled over her. His accent was completely unfamiliar to her and she had never seen the likes of the clothes that he wore, but he gave off a friendly enough air so she felt he was a nice enough person. Then she remembered one of the new rumors currently going around the rest of the staff.

"You're the human that miss Vallière summoned today aren't you. I'm Siesta what is your name?" At this point she was practically bouncing." I'll gladly show you where the kitchen and laundry room are located."

'_I like her already, not only is she pretty, but working around all these snobbish little brats has made her humble too, and that smile of hers can is dangerous in its own right. I think starting tomorrow I am going to teach those punks some humility_.' "Why thank you Siesta I would appreciate that very much. My name is Therum Magnus, please just call me Therum."

Siesta led Therum to where the laundry room was and despite his protests helped him wash his mistress's dainty knickers and other assorted vestments. Afterword, while the clothes were drying, she led him on a tour of the parts of the castle that she knew. There was a minor altercation with the loud mouth blonde dandy from earlier, Guiche his name was, and a younger girl that he was flirting with. Other than that things progressed fairly smoothly for the remainder of the tour. After their walk was over Therum walked Siesta back to the maid's quarters before collecting Louise's laundry and returning to her room.

He made a conscious effort to not wake the girl. He thought she was downright cute when she wasn't yammering about her foolish noble Superiority. With the clean laundry safely put away in the wardrobe Therum took his leave and headed out to the garden that Siesta had shown him earlier. He was serious about not sleeping on a pile of hay in the corner. Sleeping out under the stars was a much better option, especially on nights like this when the weather is crisp but enjoyable. Having a new night sky to try and map doesn't hurt either. The presence of two moons had confirmed the he was definitely not in Kansas anymore. With this Therum pondered his unexpected new lot in life as sleep slowly claimed him.

***BREAK***

Therum roused shortly before dawn felling better rested than he had in years. There really must be something about magical gardens that provide an unparallel sleep quality. He was able to get going remarkably quickly despite not being a morning person. Shaking off the last remnants of sleep he decided that he should head to Louise's room and wake her up like she requested. That job is apparently easier said than done. The little mageling proved to be an astonishingly heavy sleeper with a poor memory. Once Therum had managed to get the girl awake she had promptly hit him with one of her exploding spells. No real damage was done to either person but his beloved coat now had a thick covering of soot on it to go with the grass stains from sleeping in the garden. Once she had recognized him as "that commoner I summoned" she actually had the decency to apologize for the damage to what currently counted as his only outfit. He then proceeded to help her gather an outfit for the day and left the room so that she could get dressed.

A few minutes later Louise entered the hallway where Therum was waiting and the pair walked towards the main dining hall. "Therum would you like to join me for breakfast this morning with the rest of the students? I am sure nobody would complain if my familiar joined me."

"No thank you little master I do not particularly like loud places I figure I will just grab something from the kitchens and meet up with you a bit later to accompany you to your classes."

"They give all of the second years the day off after the summoning ceremony to bond with our familiars so if you will just meet me in the courtyard in a couple of hours that should be fine."

He gave a nod and marched off in the direction of the kitchens that Siesta had shown him the previous night. _'I hope they don't mind me dropping in like this, but I really don't want to have to deal with dozens of spoiled brats calling me commoner all morning. At least Louise is making an effort to be civil today, even if it is partly just a show. Maybe I can even get a bit if cooking in myself.' _

***BREAK***

As it turns out the cooks in the kitchen had all heard of how polite the newcomer was to one of their own the night before and had welcomed Therum into the kitchen with open arms and offerings of eggs and bacon. This was definitely a better choice than the noisy alternative. "Thank you so much for your hospitality everyone if there is any way that I can repay your kindness please let me know. How about I cook breakfast for all of you sometime so that you might enjoy a morning off, I will even provide my own ingredients." The head chef didn't really seem to like the idea of some stranger taking over his kitchen but conceded to Therum's enthusiasm to help.

"Well if you really want to do something, you are welcome to help me serve tea and cakes to the students in the courtyard today," Siesta offered. "It is really not a whole lot of work but I would enjoy having someone nice to talk to." '_Hopefully it will also keep those stupid nobles from trying to touch my butt. I can understand it from the boys but that red haired woman is far too forward for my liking.'_

"I would be glad to help such a polite and lovely lady serve a bunch of pampered noble brats. Let us be off to an honest day's work. Something that those twerps will never know a thing about," he exited with an over exaggerated flourish. Siesta chuckled to herself as she gathered up things on her snack cart and followed the strange familiar who was now wearing one of the cook's spare aprons instead of his heavy coat. How he managed to change so quickly was beyond her.

About an hour later Therum and Siesta found Louise sitting at a small table with two empty seats. "Salutations master how was your breakfast?" Louise looked at him like he had grown an extra head. Then again it might have something to do with the fact that sometime between their parting and now he had lost his coat and was pushing a tea cart while wearing a chef's apron over his black shirt and pants.

"Familiar, I mean Therum what in the name of the founder are you wearing, and why are you helping this maid push her cart?"

"I would think that that much should be obvious master. I am serving tea and cake to the students with this wonderful maid here. Her name is Siesta. We met last night while I was wandering around the castle and helped me find the laundry room so that I could provide you with fresh knickers." Louise twitched as he bluntly talked about her under garments in public. "We will join you when we are done we just have those two blonde fops left to serve and we can take a bit of a break." With that he and the maid wandered over to the table Guiche and Montmorency were sitting at. "Good morning milord," the duo greeted. "Would you care for some tea and special chocolate cake?"

"Yes commoner that will do nicely. Good to see that the Zero's familiar has given up his charade and returned to an occupation suiting his station," huffed the golden dandy. "Did you ask for more money to keep up your act and she refused, or did she simply prove too much of a hassle for you?"

"Nothing of the sort milord, Siesta here was kind enough to give me a tour of the grounds last night as you saw and I am merely returning the favor. On the other hand if you touch my friend's rear again without her permission while your lady friend here is looking away, I will have to break it." Therum was now grinning at Guiche's reaction to getting caught. To make things even better the younger girl form last night was now approaching the group, and his companion was already looking cross with him.

"Guiche what does he mean? Were you really feeling up that common maid with me sitting right here next to you! And who is that girl over there waiving at you with a basket?" Montmorency pointed as Katie walked up to offer Guiche a soufflé she had prepared.

"Guiche who is she?" asked Katie this time. "You said you had eyes for only me always," the two fuming girls echoed. Guiche tried to make up some lame excuse that neither of the ladies bought. Apparently they both came to the same conclusion as two slaps echoed through the courtyard.

"I remember you form last night, Guiche was very rude to you. As an apology pleas enjoy this homemade soufflé. I think you probably deserve it more than that dirty two-timer." Therum accepted the basked from Katie before she turned around and stormed off back in the direction she came from. Montmorency went off in the other direction.

When he had suitably recovered from the shock of the vicious double slap he had just received Guiche turned his anger upon Therum. "How dare you make two noble ladies cry like that? You have not only soiled their honor but mine as well. Now you have the audacity to steal something that was rightfully mine? I challenge you to a duel!"

Therum seemed to be in deep thought for a few seconds before responding. "You are the one who hurt those ladies sir. Very few women will react kindly to being lied to. As to stealing from you I assume you are talking about this soufflé, and if that is the case you are sadly mistaken. While it may have been originally destined for you it was given to me by its maker. This makes it mine not yours. "He made a show of carefully smelling the basket. "As to this duel nonsense what are your terms?"

"You and I in single combat at Vestri Square in 15 minutes," he said as he marched away. Had he looked back at that moment he would have seen two very disturbing images, one familiar with an absolutely predatory grin and a very, very angry pink haired mageling approaching.

"Therum do you have any idea what you have done!" yelled Louise at her familiar. "You have challenged a noble to single combat. There is no way a commoner, no matter how skilled, can beat a noble. You do not even have a sword with you what are you thinking? We must go to Guiche immediately and apologize."

"Wait a minute ee challenged me, not the other way around. Please have faith in your familiar. There is more to me than meets the eye. I am sure everything will work itself out in the end. Siesta would you mind running to the kitchens and retrieving my coat for me? I have a feeling that I am going to need something in one of the pockets." She was off before he had even finished speaking. The predatory smirk had returned with a vengeance. '_This should be an interesting event.'_

***BREAK***

"I am surprised that you decided to show up commoner. I respect your valor and if you beg at my feet I might let you off with a mild beating this once. Dueling is against the rules for nobles but since you are just a commoner there will be no repercussions for me."

"I will not back down from this show that you have instigated but I must clarify something. You intend to fight this battle with magic correct?"

"Of course you foolish commoner how else would a noble fight a duel?" He waived his 'rose' and the petal that fell formed into a bronze golem. "I am Guiche the Bronze and this Valkyrie will be your opponent." Just as the statue appeared out of the ground Siesta arrived at the court with several of the kitchen staff and Therum's coat. The owner of said coat retrieved it form the girl and put it on with a flourish.

"As you wish milord, and I shall be your opponent." As he spoke Therum reached into one of the interior pockets of his coat and pulled out a gleaming sword and scabbard that seemed to shimmer like bottles starlight from one of his pockets. To say that the gathered body of observers was confused would be an understatement. "This is my favorite sword, her name is Aurora. This match can begin whenever you like." The confident tone of his voice betrayed no hint of fear or worry.

"Do you really expect to fight me with a blade that cannot be more than six inches long? That is more of a letter opener than as sword. Are you purposefully trying to insult me or are you just a fool?"

"I assure you the blade is very sharp, but if you would rather me use a full sized sword that is your choice." He grabbed the hilt and the scabbard as if to draw his miniscule weapon but instead of unsheathing the blade the sword expanded as he pulled his hands apart until it was just around four feet in length. "Does this work for you milord? The sword is now at its original dimensions and combat ability."

"You're a noble," both Louise and Guiche exclaimed.

"I am absolutely no such thing! I am just a man with a fancy sword. Now can we please get this ordeal over with? My tea is getting cold and I would like a piece of that cake before it is all gone." Taking the initiative he unsheathed his blade that he had finished fastening to his belt and lashed out at the bronze golem a few feet in front of him. With a few powerful strokes the golem was reduced to nothing more than scrap metal. "I told you it was very sharp."

The crowd erupted into quiet whispering and what sounded like one industrious student taking bets. Guiche's Valkyries were known to be fairly tough opponents and this commoner summoned by the Zero had just turned one into scrap metal. Not satisfied with his feat the familiar began to advance on Guiche while lazily twirling his blade in his hands.

Guiche was panicking at this point and tried summoning a dozen more of his Valkyrie warriors armed with various weapons to pursue Therum. It was the maximum number that he could currently summon at his skill level. Guiche decided to use his numerical advantage and had his Valkyries surround Therum in a circle thinking that the man could not defend all his sides at once. Therum knew what was happening and decided to see exactly what Guiche could do. Instead of advancing on the constructs he grabbed his scabbard and muttered a brief sentence under his breath. The audience once again gasped as his scabbard morphed in his hand into a large kite shield. It is around this time that he noticed that the runes on the back of his hand were glowing.

_'Now this is an interesting development, looks like these familiar runes might actually be worth something. Either way these kids are expecting a good show so I had best not disappoint. This Guiche kid had a pretty good idea but these things are too slow and soft to be that much of a danger. Too bad the kid isn't a Titanium mage._' The first of the attack wave finally got into range with its spear but was blocked by Therum's newly formed shield, followed by a quick beheading of the perpetrator. The other eleven did not fare a whole lot better. A couple managed to get in a few blows in here and there but none left any lasting damage on the increasingly mysterious familiar. By the time the last of the Valkyrie constructs had fallen the familiar was barely even breathing heavily.

Guiche was astounded that his small army of Valkyries had been so easily dispatched by the Zero's commoner familiar the last one standing had been literally beaten into a heap with his shield instead of using his strange sword. Guiche was so astonished by his resounding defeat that he didn't realize Therum's approach until that cursed blade was pointed at his crotch. "Oh Founder please don't kill me. I yield to you and will no longer insist on an apology from you."

"Oh you have me gravely mistaken young sir, I am not going to kill you I was more considering the idea of neutering you so that you could never harm a lady's honor again, or I could just break both of your arms and then turn you over to them for whatever they wish to do to you. I might be willing to forget this whole mess if you would offer both of the ladies you slighted this morning an apology. Then you are going to apologize to my little master for all of the terrible things you have said to her during your time here at this academy. Once you have done all of this our issue here will be resolved, if you don't do this I will use this blade to hang you by your pelvis from the tallest tower I can find do you understand." Guiche nodded yes. "Good now get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Guiche took off towards the castle tripping over his own feet looking for Montmorency and Katy before that insane familiar of the Zero could catch up with him.

Turning to address Louise he spoke in an entirely different tone, "Would you like to have that tea now? I am rather thirsty after all that talking." The gathered crowd stared at him dumbly after that comment. Did he really just go from talking about hanging someone from a tower by their bits to asking for tea? "Is he mentally unbalanced or something" was the most common thought among the congregation.

***BREAK***

Back at their table Louise and Therum had been joined by Siesta at Therum's request and were enjoying a nice cup of tea and some cake. '_Ugh, my tea got cold while dealing with that pompous prick_.' "Siesta do you think it would be too much trouble to get a fresh cup of tea? Mine has gotten rather cold while dealing with that Guiche guy."

"No need for that my darling Kirche von Zerbst the Ardent will warm both you and your tea the way you have set me alight inside," said a voice from behind the group. The owner of the voice waived her wand at Therum's cup and steam began to rise from it. Therum cautiously took a sip from his no steaming tea and released a small sigh of contentment. Luke warm tea ought to be a crime.

"Zerbst what are you doing here and why are you harassing my familiar in such a shameless manner, have you nothing better to do than bother me?"

"Oh hush Vallière I am not here to talk to you I am here to profess my love to this shining example of manliness next to you. In all my life I have never seen such an amazing display of swordsmanship. As a reward, I aim to take care of him in way that you seem to be unable to. If he needs his tea warmed who better to do so than a fire mage, and if I need my bed warmed who better than the one who sets my passion aflame like no other. "

Louise and Siesta were both going red at this point, Siesta from the thoughts in her head fueled by Kirche's words and her romance novels and Louise from equal parts rage and embarrassment. Therum decided to step in before his tea got caught in one of his little master's explosions. "I thank you young lady for your compliments of my ability and the warm tea but I have no interest of warming your bed in the foreseeable future. Not only am I significantly older than you but I would rather not do anything that would cause my little master here any further distress than I am already likely to do on my own. I would assume bedding one of her rivals would do just that. I am sure you can find another outlet for your 'passion.' Now if you will excuse yourself we were in the middle of a private discussion." Kirche huffed indignantly.

"I'll leave for now but remember this darling a raging inferno is not easily put out by a cold wind and my love is like a raging fire. I will have you yet." With a dramatic sweep of her cape Kirche left to rejoin her quiet blue haired friend Tabitha. Therum recognized the other girl from the day before, if memory serves she was the one who summoned the dragon. She might be one worth keeping an eye on.

Louise was the first to speak after Kirche was out of ear shot, "You told me that you were not a noble. Why did you lie to me?"

"Simple I did not lie when I told you that I was not any sort of nobility. You never asked if I was a decent swordsman in possession of a heavily enchanted blade. Where I come from I am not a noble I am simply a hapless wanderer and student of the world who you summoned to be your familiar. If you had asked me 'do you have an impressive collection of magical artifacts fit for nobility,' I would have probably said yes. I've picked up quite a fair number of odd items over the last few years. Here, however, I am merely Therum the humble familiar of Louise le Blanc de la Vallière a mageling with great magical potential. "

"You are just saying that to make me happy. I know that I am a failure at magic you don't have to lie to me." Therum reached across the table and ruffled the girl's hair slightly.

"I never jest when it comes to the potential of someone's ability. I have no idea what kind of mage you will grow to be but I can assure you that you have great potential in at least one field. The amount of powered needed to summon someone like me should attest to that. If it will put your mind at further ease I will let you in on one of my other little secrets but the both of you must swear to not tell another soul unless I give you permission first. Also you are not to speak until I am done talking. Can you agree to this?" Both girls eagerly nodded looking forward to learning anything they could about the strange man seated across from them.

"As far as I can tell this is not the world I am from. I am not from some different country but from another planet entirely. This Academy is not my first encounter with magic though; I was once very good friends with an Arch Mage that let me live after discovering his secret because I was dating his favorite granddaughter at the time. You see where I am from magic is nothing like it is here. Those who practice the arcane arts live separate from the world and the average person has no idea that magic is real. The magi of my world guard their secrets very closely and only pass along their legacy to a small handful of apprentices. The worth of a magister in my world has little to do with birth status, but their ability with magic. That is the reason I find this noble, commoner segregation so ridiculous. The only advantage a good lineage would have gotten you back home is access to more research material, and if you are lucky a larger internal well of magic to draw from. That is how I know you have great potential Louise; these glasses that I am wearing are enchanted to show magical auras. The color and vibrancy of the aura determine how much raw power a person has to work with. With dull red being the weakest while still being able to perform real magic and bright silver being the most powerful. Does this make any sense at all to you two?"

Louise sat for a full five minutes thinking before finally saying anything. "If what you are saying is true can I ask you three questions Therum," Louise asked. Therum nodded. "First off can you prove to that that whole story is true and not just something you came up with to make me feel better about myself?"

"I am not entirely sure what kind of proof you want because my sword is pretty obviously magical in nature but maybe this picture will help convince you a little more," he handed Louise a somewhat tattered picture of an older man in what looked like a nicer version of Therum's outfit and a young man and woman, the latter of which was obviously a younger Therum. Therum and the girl had a heart made of what looked like a rainbow over their heads coming from the hands of the girl. "The man in the picture is Alexander Venenatus the mage I mentioned earlier and the girl is Alexandria Venenatus his granddaughter, that photo was taken about a year after I discovered their family secret." Louise and now Siesta were studying the picture intently. It was much clearer than any painting they had ever seen before and some of the things in the background had never been seen by either of them. Either it was a very good fake or it helped validate his story pretty well.

Louise handed Therum back his picture. "I believe you now. My second question is if you can really see magical power what color is mine and what does it mean?"

"That is an easy one master, your aura is a vibrant pale blue and it means that you have one of the strongest magical wells I have seen at this academy with only a couple of the professors passing you in terms of raw power. If we ever figure out your element you will definitely become a high grade mage. Siesta your aura is a soft pink."

That comment got Therum sprayed by the tea that both girls had just taken a sip of. "What did you just say!" they yelled. "I thought you said that only magical things had an aura," again in unison.

"I did say that, so Siesta must obviously have some magical potential. Pink is one of the weaker aura colors but if she had ever been given the chance she would have proven to have some ability. Louise hand her your wand and let's see if anything happens." Louise reluctantly handed Siesta her wand while the latter took it very cautiously. Normally commoners were not allowed to touch a noble's magic wand for any reason. "Good now give it a little wave and say "scintilla" you should produce some small sparks. The spell isn't really good for anything but it does take magic to make it work." The shy maid did as she was told and dropped it when the air in front of her erupted in a burst of small sparks. "Very good Siesta you are indeed magical. Now what was your final question Louise?"

After the sparks from the maid poor Louise was almost too shocked to think straight but she had to know," Are you a mage too Therum?" He just smiled and handed the pinkette his glasses. When she put them on the first thing she noticed was that there was a bright emerald green haze around her familiar's body. Looking at the maid next to her, who was still apparently in shock, there was indeed a light pink haze around the girl. Finally she got the nerve to look at her own hands, true to his word they were surrounded by a bright blue light. Proving to be too much for the overwhelmed girl to handle Louise's brain decided that now was a good time to shut down for a while and she fainted.

**A/N There have been some minor changes to this chapter, I think it makes the flow of the story a little better. If you are new to the story or just re-reading, feel free to tell me if you want something retroactively tweaked.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Settling in**

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than my plot alterations and OC's**

"Wake up little master it is time for you to prepare for your classes this morning."

"Ngh! Five more minutes please mother I don't want to get up yet," Said Louise as she tried to swat away the annoying voice that had invaded her dream just as it was getting to the good part.

"I am not your mother and I will not give you any more time to sleep little one if you do not get up this instance you will surely regret your decision." This time Louise recognized the voice speaking to her at the voice of her familiar and the co-star of the mildly embarrassing dream she had just stopped. '_I am never borrowing any books from that maid again._' Then the poor pinkette remembered the events that had happened yesterday right up to where she had passed out.

"Did what I think actually happened yesterday or was that just some sort or unbelievably realistic dream?"

"That would depend on what you think happened, master. If you think I got into a scrimmage with the blonde kid Guiche and embarrassed him pretty badly, no that was not a dream. Neither was the part where I revealed that you have some of the largest magical reserves in the academy, or where I showed that Siesta has potential to be an average mage with some training. What you may not remember, however, is the part where you passed out into my soufflé that Katie gave to me and messed up your uniform. I do not appreciate you making my laundry duties more difficult." '_I really wanted to try that soufflé too, even if it was just to rub it in Guiche's face.'_

"What about the parts where you handed me those glasses of yours and I saw a magical aura around you even though you told me twice that you are not a noble?" The man chuckled at her question.

"If I give you the short version will you leave the details be for the time being and go have a shower before breakfast?" She nodded her head once tossing her cute pink bed hair into her face. Therum brushed the hair out of her face before taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"As I told you briefly yesterday, magic is different in my home world than it is here. There are about one in two thousand people that are born with the ability to use magic so of the six billion people that live on my planet about three million or so have the natural ability to work the arcane arts. That is right around .05% of the population. With the weapons the average people have they would destroy even the most powerful mages in the world if they tied to exert the same kind of control over them that the nobles here have, and less than half those born with the gift have any formal training. This is why our mages live in a very loose hidden society away from the rest of the world where their abilities can be mastered without threat of persecution." Louise's eyes were wide with disbelief at this point.

"If the magical population does not rule, who is left to govern the peasants?"

"I'll get to that later, please let me finish my story. As I was saying, there is about another 1% of the population that has repressed magical abilities that would normally never appear unless a much more powerful mage came along to awaken it. I am a member of this latter group who had my abilities awoken just a few years ago. I have very extensive knowledge about magic due to a screw up during the awakening process. I know more spells than anyone with my experience should, but I have fairly low power reserves to cast them with. Personally I prefer to live my life as I did before I discovered all this mess and only use magic as a last resort, or when I am feeling particularly lazy."

"If your power is as great as you claim it is why don't you want to use your magic? You could become nobility here in no time if you let everybody know what you are capable of. Nobody would ever be able to call me Zero anymore." The poor girl was on the verge of tears at this point.

"I will help you in any way that I can but I must insist that you do not tell anybody about my mage abilities until I decide whether or not to let anyone else know. I have already sworn Siesta to secrecy about me and I insist that you do the same. In return I will do anything in my ability to help you find and master your element or find another branch of thaumaturgy for you to work in." He leapt up from the bead with a bright smile on his face. "Now a deal is a deal off to the showers with you, I still smell eau de soufflé in your hair."

About twenty minutes later a slightly damp pink haired master returned to her bed chambers to find her familiar standing in a corner near her window using some sort of marking stick to draw diagrams on her wall. Being the well brought up girl that she is, there was only one proper reaction to his antics. "Explosion!" The offending familiar, his marks and most of the wall that he had been writing on went sailing at an accelerated rate towards the ground at well above a safe velocity. The poor mistreated familiar and a quiet blue haired student reading in the courtyard were quite startled by this turn of events. The wall was quite put out too. Before the blunette had time to react to the situation the flying familiar managed to blurt out a string of words that sounded a lot like an incantation and slowed to a stop just a few feet from the ground, right at eye level with the confused girl. She closed her book and gave the floating man her full attention.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody that this happened," the floating man said. The blue haired girl nodded once. With a less than graceful touchdown he extended his hand to the quiet girl, "Therum Magnus nice to meet you."

"Tabitha," she simply stated, shook his hand once and walked away to find a quieter place to read. The girl's dragon took a moment to stop and look at the dusty man with a slight tilt of its head. Therum prepared to defend himself from the animal before finding himself drenched in dragon saliva. Apparently happy with its handiwork, the animal ran off after her master.

Therum fumed to himself on the way back up to Louise's room while trying to find a clean piece of coat to wipe his face on. _'The mageling and I have a few matters to discuss in regards to morning greetings. Good morning, thank you for setting out my clothes, idle dismissal, are all acceptable to some degree or another. Yelling explosion and sending someone hurtling forty feet to the ground below is not in any form a proper way to greet someone especially when they are trying to do something to help you. If I hadn't been wearing this coat she could have seriously injured me. It still hurt like hell though.'_

Upon entering the room after his internal rant, "Familiar what is the meaning of defacing a noble's bed chamber in such a manner?" Apparently she was referencing the new hole in the wall that **she** put there not ten minutes ago. "Why were you drawing marks on the wall while I was in the shower?" Or she could be completely off scale.

"I was not defacing anything I was drawing a power collection grid so that I could extend the room out a little and give me somewhere private to sleep while still being close enough to assist you if necessary. You were the one telling me that I should use more magic last night. Besides, you are the one who blew a hole in your wall not me. If anything you should apologize to me for almost killing me. If I had been a normal commoner I would have been crippled at best from that fall." At least she had the decency to look a little ashamed of her actions.

"Well next time inform your master before you make any changes to her living quarters. What would you need a power array for I thought you said that you are a powerful mage."

"No I said that I am a skillful mage with very limited power reserves. I can perform just about any magical feat you can throw at me but I usually need to have an external way to gather the mana first. Relying purely on my own reserves I will be able to fix your mess here and redraw the array in time to meet you for class but don't expect me to be much of a grand sorcerer for the rest of the afternoon. Now hurry or you will miss breakfast." He pushed her out into the hallway with a little more force than absolutely necessary before closing the door behind her.

***Break***

_'Who does that stupid familiar think that he is ordering me around like some sort little child? I am the master and he is my familiar. If he had told me that he was going to be making renovations I would not have reacted in such a way it is his fault, not mine. I am glad he wasn't injured by that fall though.'_ Suddenly from behind her she heard the last voice that she wanted to hear today._' This day just keeps getting better.'_

"Oh, little Louise there you are. Where is my darling one this morning I would have thought that after yesterday you would allow the poor man to accompany you to the dining hall for a decent meal?" Her face twisted to one of impish delight. "I know you left him exhausted last night after you showed him exactly how much you admire his expert sword-play. That is ok I don't mind sharing him with you. I imagine he is far too much man to be satisfied by one woman alone for too long anyway." Kirche was far too good at pushing Louise's buttons for the other's comfort.

"I did no such thing with him." Louise's face now matched her hair perfectly. "Not all women are as shameless as you Zerbst most proper noble girls have a little thing called decency! He is simply taking care of a task I gave him and he will meet me in class after breakfast. He is just a familiar after all. There is no real reason to have him come into the dining hall. Now if you are done bothering me I would like to have my meal in peace."

"Fine have it your way Vallière Tabitha and I will leave you in peace, but I will have what I desire sooner or later. My heart's fire cannot be put out so easily."

"Pointless," Tabitha commented.

***BREAK***

Elsewhere in the Castle while the familiar in question was chanting and drawing runes to repair a badly damaged wall with a familiar sized hole in it an old man was working his way towards a righteous beating with the aid of a small white mouse. Acting Senile will only get a person so far. A lesson the old man will be sure to learn in the near future.

***BREAK***

After breakfast the students headed to their first classes of the day and the first class at all for the second years after their spring summoning. Louise made it to class just as the bell was ringing and saw that her familiar was already seated at the back with an open journal and what looked like some sort of writing device in front of him. "Glad you made it on time master I saved you a seat," he gestured to the bench beside him. Louise huffed slightly but sat down anyway.

"Why do you have a notebook in front of you? You're not a student here."

"That may be true Louise but if I am going to help you figure what magic you are capable of, I need to gather some idea of what you have been learning so far. For example everyone here seems to be a wand or staff user for the majority of their magic. I personally hate mine and only use it when I cast high cost magic, like fixing tower walls early in the morning after a temperamental girl blasts me through them. Now shush, it looks like the professor is about to begin."

"Good morning class, it seems that the Springtime Familiar Summoning was a great success. I, Chevreuse the Red Clay, always enjoy seeing the new familiars that are summoned each spring. Miss Vallière who is the young man sitting next to you I was not aware that we were going to be having a new transfer student this term?"

"That is not a new student Professor Chevreuse that is my familiar who likes to think himself a student."

"Hey just because I am not technically a student here doesn't mean I want to pass up a chance to learn something."

"That is right professor; Louise summoned a common swordsman as her familiar. He is most assuredly not a student at this academy," said another blonde boy from across the room.

_'So says the kid without a degree in Mechanical Engineering.'_ "I would appreciate it if you would shut it lad and let the professor get on with the lesson. Some of us are actually interested in what she has to say. Even if I am not a noble born magician like you may be, I know when to shut up. Also the common swordsman as you put it has a name, it is Therum Magnus, please use it when speaking to or about me."

Chevreuse was a little surprised at how blunt he was to the boy but he had respecter her and that is the important part. "Thank you Mr. Magnus, now as a review can anyone tell me how many elements there are?"

Guiche was the first to have his hand up and speak,"there are five elements miss: Fire, Air, Water, Wind, and the lost element of Void. My element happens to be Earth just like you professor."

"Very good Mr. Gramont that is correct and in this class we will be reviewing what you should have learned about earth magic last semester and continuing on with line level spells."

"Excuse me Professor, what do you mean by line level spells?" asked Therum.

"Oh yes what a good review point mister Magnus. The power of a mage is determined by how many elements a mage can stack when casting a spell. For instance controlling mud would be a line spell consisting of earth and water and making something out of a single stone would be a dot level earth spell. I believe that most of the students here in year two are dot or line level mages, while I am a triangle class mage and someone like Old Osmond the Headmaster and Professor Colbert are square class mages."

"Are there any mages who can stack all five elements together or that are able to use more than four at a time? It seems kinda limiting to only be able to use one or two elements of magic."

"It is rumored that the royal family can use hexagon class spells but for most that is just speculation. As for using all five that is impossible because the fifth element of Void has been lost for millennia and no mages today are known to be able to use it."

"Thank you Professor Chevreuse that was very informative." Therum was no longer paying attention to the teacher as he started writing in the open book in front of him.

"How about we do a practical demonstration of earth magic now?" Chevreuse bulled three small pieces of coal out of one of the pockets in her robe. With a wave of her wand and a few words the pieces shone for a moment and turned into a shining gold tinted metal.

"Did you just turn those rocks into Gold," Kirche's eyes were wide with amazement.

"No Miss Zerbst these are simple brass I am but a triangle mage and it takes a square class to reproduce the specific properties found in gold." That got Therum's attention for a brief moment.

_'If they can turn coal into brass when diamonds would be far simpler, why can't they make gold it is just another element. Heck brass is mostly copper, which is in the same family as gold. These people must have to use more magical power to make up for their lack of understanding with elemental composition gold does have some pretty unique properties. Why do mages always ignore the scientific element?' _He made another couple of notes in his book.

"Would anybody else like to give it a try? How about you Miss Vallière it seems as if your familiar has been more active in class than you have today. Come up to the front and give it a go."

"Are you sure you want to do that Professor it could be really dangerous if the Zero tries this." Kirche was back at it.

"Nonsense child there is nothing dangerous about transmutation. Now get up here Miss Vallière and say the spell while thinking of what metal you want to turn the coal into." Louise reluctantly got up from her seat while the rest of the students got under their desks. Tabitha closed her book and silently made her way to the exit. As she made to walk past Therum he stuck his arm out blocking her path without looking up from his notes. She took the hint and sat back down in the seat that Louise had recently vacated.

Therum once again tore his attention away from his notes and calculations to watch Louise work. '_This will be the first time I have seen her cast anything except for an explosion spell. The summoning spell doesn't count because I was on the receiving end of that.'_ Louise began to cast and the rocks at first appeared to be doing what the professor's had. _'WAIT that's not right, I hope she won't be mad at me for interfering but I have to help.'_ Just as the coal bits were about to go critical Therum waved his pen slightly and the transformation finished calmly. There sitting on the table were three flawless diamonds about half the size of the original coal chunks. He couldn't tell what surprised the students and teacher the most, the lack of an explosion or the three shining rocks on the table. _'That should get them off her back for a little while.'_

"I saw," Tabitha said in barely a whisper from behind her book. She recived a warm half smile in response to her comment.

"Something tells me you are not going to be telling anyone."

The Professor was the first to recover her senses because she had never experienced one of Louise's explosions and only had to deal with the shock of her student producing jewelry quality gems out of a hunk of coal she grabbed from the stove stores before class. "Well done Miss Vallière I will keep one of these for grading and you may keep the other two."

"Are those real diamonds Professor or are they some sort of glass look alike? She could have swapped them during that reaction flash when we weren't looking." Apparently Kirche had just as much interest in shiny things as she does in men.

"That was easily a square class reaction; no way can The Zero suddenly pull that off." Guiche wasn't happy about being shown up twice now by the girl, even if both times were indirect. "I could test them with my familiar; Verdandi has an affinity for rare gem stones."

"Miss Zerbst, Mister Gramont, I will not have one of my students accused of cheating in my class when they have preformed such exemplary work with me watching the whole time. Have a seat Miss Vallière so that we can continue with our class." Louise scooped up the two stones and returned to her seat next to her familiar. Tabitha returned to her own seat next to Kirche.

The rest of the class continued without much else happening. A few more students showed their ability to transmute the bits of coal into various metals such as bronze, iron, copper and the like. The only thing that Therum really care about at all was the intense gaze he was getting from Tabitha when she thought he wasn't looking. _'That girl is too curious for my own good. I hope she doesn't start asking questions about how I fixed Louise's spell.'_

As the students were exiting the classroom Louise and Therum ran into a minor road block consisting Of Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha, the latter of which seemed more interested in her book than what her excitable best friend was up to. Guiche was trying not to make eye contact with the older man while addressing Louise. "Louise may we take a look at those so called diamonds you produced earlier? I want to let Verdandi sniff them to see if they are real or not."  
Not wanting to cause any problems she gave the gems to Guiche for inspection. He in turn waived them in front of the giant mole that had burrowed up beside him. As soon as the gems were close enough Verdandi went wild over them thus verifying them as true diamonds. "Well I'll be it looks like one of your screw ups has actually paid off little Louise. There is no way I am going to believe that you were originally aiming for something so magnificent but I suppose even you have to get lucky occasionally."

"Careful Kirche that almost sounded like a compliment, "Guiche quipped, "next thing we know you two will be best friends. Having sleepovers and talking about your lovers."

"There is no way that a Zerbst and a Vallière could ever be friends like that, besides is she talked about all of her lovers there would hardly be time for sleeping in a single night." If nothing else Louise could at least hold her own in an argument with her rival.

"I agree, Louise would actually have to find a lover that likes flat girls before she could discuss her experiences." Louise would have probably tried to strangle the other girl if her shoulder were not being held by the strong grip of her familiar.

"Maybe there is more than you think," Tabitha added. While everyone else thought she was referencing Louise, Therum caught the slight eye contact she gave him over the top of her book. He winked back at her to show he understood her message. She in turn quickly buried her face into her book.

***BREAK***

Towards the end of the class, the old Headmaster was receiving the beating that he had been earning all morning. The final straw for the woman giving the beating had been when the Headmaster has said she was going to be a spinster forever if she couldn't handle someone peeking at her underwear. The kicking would have probably gone on longer if Old Osmond hadn't been saved by the interruption of a weary looking Colbert holding a very old book. "Osmond a minute of your time please," he said through his panting.

"What can I do for you Professor? Miss Longueville and I were just discussing a bit of office policy." Wisely Colbert chose to ignore the flimsy excuse.

"Will you take a look at this book please I want to get your opinion on something from page forty-two."

"A copy of The Founder and his Familiars; what is so important about this that would cause you to run up here like this? All I see on this page is a description of the runes that signified the Founder's familiar, Gandalfr. "

"Exactly sir, now take a look at these runes that appeared on the stranger Louise summoned during the ritual." The old man's eyebrows disappeared into his bangs.

"Miss Longueville would you excuse us for a moment I need to help Colbert here translate this page." After she left Osmond turned to Colbert with a serious expression rarely seen on the old man's face. "If you are implying what I think you are Professor I think that things here in Tristain are about to get much more interesting." The aged Headmaster stroked his beard in an 'I'm wise and mysterious fashion.'

"The runes on the man Therum Magnus are almost exactly the same as the ones on this page. The only difference is the appearance of another fainter symbol that was underneath the familiar runes. I could not tell if it was from the ritual or if it was perhaps something from his life before. With your permission I would like to call him up to your office in the next few days to discuss some of these possibilities with him."

"That will be fine Mister Colbert please have him come up the day after tomorrow as tomorrow is the day of the Void and I imagine the Vallière girl will not want to give up the afternoon with her companion on her day off."

As the two men were wrapping up their impromptu meeting the door to the Headmaster's office burst open again to reveal Miss Chevreuse. "Headmaster did you know that the Vallière girl that you warned me about last week was a Square class earth mage? "

"What is the meaning of this interruption Madame Mister Colbert and I were in the middle of a very important meeting, but seeing as we were just talking about the same person what do you have to say?"

"Today in class I had the girl help with a demonstration of transmutation turning coal into some other substance. When she cast the spell it looked as if she might have overloaded it but at the last moment the reaction completed and three of these were formed." She handed the Headmaster the diamond she had held on to.

Taking the gem from the excited earth mage Osmond produced a jeweler's eyepiece from somewhere. Whether by magic or more likely from the depth of beard space neither of the other educators present could tell. "You are sure that the Vallière girl made this from a piece of coal with the transmutation spell?" A nod was given. "This is some of the finest quality craftsmanship I have ever seen. I have seen the Queen herself wear pieces crafted with less attention to detail. The only problem at all is Miss Vallière has never shown even the slightest affinity for earth magic let alone having the skill to create something like this. I was planning on speaking to the girl in a couple of days I will be sure to congratulate her on the fine work. That will be all Miss Chevreuse." _'It seems that things will definitely be getting more interesting around here.'_

***Break***

In the dining hall Therum had decided to join Louise for lunch promising to have dinner in the kitchen with the cooks and maids. Out of nowhere Therum let out a mighty sneeze. "Someone must be talking about me," he said to nobody in particular.

Not hearing what he said Louise turned to Therum once she had finished her 'humble meal' and whispered to him. "I know that you did something this morning. I have experienced enough failed spells to know what one feels like. The transmutation spell was exactly the same until I felt an unfamiliar burst of willpower and the coal turned into diamond. I have never had any success with any type of earth magic it makes no sense for me to suddenly perform square class work. Besides I was trying for brass like the professor had done why did you choose something so flashy?"

"I am sorry for drawing attention to you but I was acting on impulse and diamond was the easiest thing I could think of with exertion of energy you threw at those pieces. Anyway now people will leave you alone and stop calling you The Zero."

"What do you mean the easiest thing you could think of? There are very few mages in the world that can shape jewels with magic let alone create them from a lump of fire coal. What exactly did you do anyway?"

"I am not going to try and explain advanced chemistry to you Louise but in the simplest terms coal and diamonds are both made mostly of a substance called carbon. The primary difference between the two is how the carbon particles bond together. If the bits are loosely packed with other substances mixed in the gaps you get coal or something similar, but if they are tightly packed with few impurities thanks to volcanic heat and pressure you get diamonds. I used your spell energy to remove the impurities and rearranged the carbon particles a little hence you got diamonds instead of a metal. It is my theory that the only reason your mages have such a hard time with precious materials is because you are using mass magic to compensate for lack of material understanding, not because they are more difficult to make. There's a lot more to it all but I would rather not go into it all today. Now let's finish our meal, you have other classes and my array should be ready to give me a place to sleep."

"I don't understand half of what you just said but thanks for keeping me from making another mistake. Kirche would never have let me hear the end of it if I had blown up the classroom, (again)." Striking her palm with her fist she reached into one of the pockets in her cloak. "You mad these so you should have them. As a noble I have plenty of money and I should provide for my familiar as a good master."

"That is ok Louise keep them. I have no need of them at this time because I have no expenses. Keep them as a memento to our first successful piece of joint magic. Your raw magic provided the energy for my work otherwise I would never have been able to cast that quickly without an incantation after fixing that wall this morning. Let's try to keep our temper in check from now on alright. See you this evening after your classes." Not waiting for her to respond Therum got up and left the dining hall heading towards the second year girl's rooms.

***BREAK***

After the last of her classes that afternoon Louise was on her way back to her room thinking about all of the information her increasingly mysterious familiar had laid upon her. If he was to be believed he made constant claims to being no more than an average powered magician like a line or triangle class at best but wanted her to think that a square class transfiguration is easier than making brass. '_Is there really such a difference between being a skilled mage and a powerful one? I was always taught that one eventually comes with the other.'_

Therum greeted her as she entered her bedroom. "Oh good you arrived just in time. I think you will enjoy this show greatly but please do not interfere or we could both die."

Pulling something out of his coat, Therum pointed to the piece of wall next to the window that Louise had blown up earlier. On the wall was his now completed array of runes, diagrams and advanced mathematical equations. Shifting her position a little Louise got a look at the item in his hand it was a wand of some kind made out of looked to be the same metal as his sword. There were also two more shining symbols on the back of his hands that Louise had never noticed before, but were definitely different from his familiar markings. The runes on the wand were shifting as Louise watched mesmerized while her familiar began to speak. "Vocem meam audi virtutes mundo. Respondere vocatione hoc humilis triae et da petentibus. Afferte mihi quod meum est." Louise felt a surge of power unlike any that she had ever experienced before and it felt right to her somehow. It had the same feeling as all of her spells that exact moment before they failed a feeling of pure bliss that sang to the magic in her blood. The only time she had ever felt anything this wonderful before was during the summoning ritual and that was not even as strong as the feeling was this time. As suddenly as the feeling had erupted inside her it was gone again leaving only a lingering sense of warmth and a strange looking door on the wall next to her window.

Panting slightly, "Therum what in the name of The Founder did you just do and what is that door doing there?" Paying no attention to his raging master, the magister in question decided that would be the perfect time for a nap.

***BREAK***

About an hour and a half later Therum was brought back to the waking world courtesy of a bucket of cold water. The sputtering and swearing in languages unknown to any in Tristain are clear signs that this attempt was a rousing success. "Thank you maid I have been trying to wake him for the last hour."

"You are welcome Miss Louise. Therum when you get yourself dry, I have saved you some dinner in the kitchen."

Tirade spent Therum was once more capable of his usual speech. "Thank you Siesta, I will be down in a little with the master's laundry." With a polite curtsey Siesta and her 'bucket of evil' left.

"Now that you are awake would you please tell me exactly what it is that you did, and why can't I open that door?"

"In order of importance, you can't open that door because it is keyed to my blood and magic signature nobody but me can open it. Second, what I did was summon my pocket dimension store room from earth to this room. The array that I drew on the wall spent all day collecting ambient magic from the surrounding area so that I didn't have to supply the whole amount myself. Come on I'll show you what's inside.

What was on the other side of that door was almost too much for the mageling to handle. Inside was a room that by all laws of nature should not have existed. Fortunately for Therum and Louise magic is good at bending the laws of nature without creating disastrous paradoxes. Two of the walls were covered from floor to the ten foot ceilings with racks containing every form of weapon that Louise had ever seen or imagined along with many that she had not. There were dozens of swords, bows, strange looking rifles, and several pieces of armor hanging on the walls to name a small portion. On one of the remaining walls was a huge set of book cases again filled to capacity from floor to ceiling? She could only understand the writing on one small section of the books labeled 'French' but were clearly in some dialect of Tristain's writing. The final wall furthest from the door was mostly taken up by a series of cabinets and chests with only a small bed and desk to separate them.

"Welcome to my humble room Louise you are the third person other than me to ever set foot in here. The other two were Alexander and Alexandria Venenatus and that is only because I would never have been able to make this space without their help. Technically we are not in the Tristain Academy of Magic right now. We are actually standing in a hole in the universal fabric created for me to be able to always have a home no matter where I went. The only downside to this place is that the door has to be summoned to a new location each time I move and I kind of underestimated how much energy it would take to move it from my world to this one, hence why I fainted from sudden magical exhaustion. Near as I can tell it is the same principal you used to call me here. Thanks to this symbol under the runes you put on me, this place is somewhat like my familiar. If you promise to respect my privacy I will key you into the door after I have some dinner."

"Can I stay here and look at some of the books on that shelf over there? I think I saw a few that I might be able to read."

"That should be just fine I have a fairly sizeable collection of books in French which is strangely similar to your language. _'This dimensional travel stuff gives me a headache.'_ Stay away from the weapon on those racks though some of them are magical and pack a nasty punch if the wrong person messes with them. See you in an hour or so." He left the girl to browse while he took care of his business.

***BREAK***

"Hey Siesta how are you this evening? You seem a little bit distracted, anything I can do to repay you for the meal and for helping me with Louise's laundry again." _'I am building a washing machine if I have to keep up with this nonsense.'_ "Has Guiche or one of the other noble boys been giving you trouble again? I can always hang then from the walls by their toes if you want." That got her attention…

"Nothing like that Mister Magnus, I swear, I was just thinking about some things," the fluster maid replied. "Specifically I was thinking about what you were saying about the possibility of me being a mage. Nothing like that has ever happened to a commoner like me before that I've heard of."

"I can assure you Siesta that I was not playing some joke on you. While you are probably a first generation magical, that spell was all you. While nothing impressive, it is one of the easiest spells I know of and it proves you have a gift. What I would like to know is if I could pull a few strings, would you be interested in joining this school as a student and learning real magic? I am not making any promises at this time but I want to know if going through the effort would be worth it. "

"I could never return home to Tarbes if I passed on such an opportunity of course I would accept the offer. Sadly I could never afford to pay for the tuition not to mention I have to work here to help support my family back home."

"Easy there girl all I needed to know is that you would be willing to give the same dedication to scholastic endeavors that you put forth as a maid. If you can promise me that I will do what I can to help in this endeavor. One condition though, you must call me Therum and none of this Mister Magnus business I am only twenty-four after all."

"Do you really mean that Mister, I mean Therum, you would find a way to help a stranger like me?"

"I mean it Siesta you are one of my only two friends in this world and your temper is nowhere near as violent as Louise's. I do not like the way that these nobles treat those who were not born with a certain gift, of fail to offer equal opportunity to those like you who could learn if given the chance. I may be here against my will but I still have some resources at my disposal and I can't think of a better way to exploit them. If it makes you feel any better I intend to gain a lot of amusement from messing with the nobles."

Siesta couldn't hold in her emotions anymore and did the only thing she could think of at that moment. She reached across the small table the two were sitting at and gave her first kiss to the man that wanted to turn a common maid into a noble. After about five seconds of Therum valiantly failing to offer any resistance the poor girl realized what she was doing. To say that she was embarrassed would be like saying that the nobles thought Founder Brimir was a pretty nice guy. Olympic sprinters would have been embarrassed by how quickly the poor girl fled the kitchens, leaving nothing in her wake but one smirking familiar and a toppled chair. _'That was unexpected.'_ With a flick of his wrist the dishes he had been using cleaned themselves and returned to the cupboards. _'I best get back before Louise's curiosity gets the better of her and she starts snooping where she doesn't belong.'_

When he made it back to Louise's room and more specifically to his own dwelling he found his bed already occupied by a napping pink haired girl. Sometime in the couple of hours that he had been gone Louise had selected a French copy of the Song of Roland. She was currently using said book as an armrest while she snored quietly into Therum's memory foam pillow. _'I can't fault her on her taste in literature but why did she have to take my bed? I was really looking forward to a good night's sleep after all this mess the last couple of days. Oh well I'll let her be for tonight, she is much cuter this way anyhow. That doesn't mean she gets off free for waking me up with that bucket of water though. The girl is in for a rude awakening.'_ Taking an object of the stand next to the bed he pushed a few buttons on it. _'Let's see how she likes chasing a moving alarm clock at six in the morning.'_ Setting the world's most annoying clock back on the stand he covered the girl with a blanket and left to sleep in the main room. If she was going to sleep in his bed he was going to sleep in hers.

**A/N There you have if folks, chapter two finally edited. There is still not a whole lot of action in this chapter but I feel that it is full of necessary information and plot devices. Sorry if it comes off a bit like an info dump. **

**For those who are curious I am not sure if actual ages are ever given in canon but I have decided on the following ages for the majority of those who may matter;**

**Louise, Tabitha, Kirche, and most other 2nd year students: 17- Henrietta: 19 - Siesta: 18 – Jessica: 20 – Therum: 24 - Professor Colbert: 45 - Osmond: 84**

**As usual love it, hate it want me to try something crazy feel free to leave a review or PM and let me know what you think. I can't make your experience better if I don't know what y'all want.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Normal is Over Rated **

The next morning Therum work just before dawn with a smile on his face, _'this should prove to be interesting. If my watch is right Louise should be waking up in 3…2…1…now.'_ From the open door to Therum's room three sounds could be heard. The first was a loud mechanical beeping sound; the second was a screaming pink haired mage being awakened by the beeps and the third was the unmistakable sound of someone falling out of a bed. Therum walked over to the door to get a better look at the scene unfolding in his sanctuary. Louise was still half asleep trying to catch his motorized alarm clock which was doing a very good job of avoiding her wild grasping. Finally getting fed up with the annoying little device Louise decided to switch to her old fall back, explosions. _'I had best stop her before she destroys my room. The weapons and the books are protected against magic but my poor bed isn't.'_

"What is this horrible thing and what unholy magic makes it make such a terrible noise? How do you make this thing shut off?" Having finally caught the annoying device she was frantically smacking it around trying to make it be quiet.

"Give it here Louise it is called an alarm clock and it is not a magical device. It is a piece of technology created on my home world designed to wake people up in the mornings at a specific time. Like I told you before on Earth magic is very rare but the normal people have found ways to recreate and surpass many magical feats with technology. Take that bed you borrowed last night, it does not have feathers or springs or anything like that it is actually a giant piece of something called memory foam. Think of it like a really big sponge. " Taking the clock from his master he pushed the off button on the side of the device quieting it instantly.

"You are telling me that people where you are from purchase things like that to wake them up on purpose, and you think that our nobles are the strange ones." She said in an undertone. "Why did you wake me up so early anyway it is the day of the Void and we don't have any classes today?"

"Well if someone hadn't stolen my bed last night shortly after I dragged it off another freaking planet I would not have needed to wake them up. It's not my fault you didn't inform me of your holidays. It is, however, your fault that you were in my room when my alarm clock went off. I am kinda new here you know so it might take me a while to adjust. No matter what you are awake now so what would you like to do with your day off? I personally would like to spend some time away from this blasted castle."

"Well we could head into Tristainia for the day it is the nation's capital and only a few hours by horse. I need to pick up a few things anyway."

"Shopping with a little princess is not exactly what I had in mind but I admit that I would love to go see the capital. You have a deal master, I will arrange for our transportation at once. Your clothes for the day are laid out on your bed, please be ready to go within in the hour." Pushing Louise out of his room he closed the door behind him muttering about how vengeance would be his.

Emerging from his room just under an hour later Louise was a little confused by the change her familiar had taken. Instead of the strange black clothes that she had become accustomed to seeing on him he was instead wearing a plain white tunic with long brown pants and riding boots. For lack of better words he looked like a minor noble about to go on a hunting trip not a stranger from another world. He even had a leather satchel common among fast traveling palace messengers. _'I knew my renaissance fair costumes would come in handy again.'_ "Are you ready to go master the sun is high and I smell adventure in the air? We can have lunch in the city if we hurry."

***BREAK***

Out in the castle courtyards Therum started towards the main gate. "Wait you stupid familiar the stables are this way, I am not going to walk the whole way to the capital."

"Please Louise have a little faith in me. I have a much quicker way to travel but I want to get out of sight of the castle first. I guarantee you will not have to walk too far." He had a feeling that she was going to be irate with him by the time their journey was done so the rude address was forgiven.

"Very well Therum I will see what you have planned. One thing I am learning is that you usually know what you're doing."

About a quarter mile down the road when a grove of trees had hidden the two travelers from view Therum signaled Louise to stop for a minute. "This should be far enough away to keep prying eyes away." From his bag Therum pulled out three small objects. Two looked like some kind of strange tiny bowls and the other looked like a toy that a child might play with. Louise was about to question the sanity of her servant when he pulled out his wand from his sleeve and waived it over the objects. The objects grew to many times their original size. Therum handed one of the 'bowls' to Louise. It was nearly the same color as her hair.

"Therum what are these things and what exactly am I supposed to do with this thing?"

"That my dear little master is called a helmet you put it on top of your head and fasten the straps under your chin. The other object is called a motorcycle. It is a machine used for personal transportation by many back on Earth. You can think of it as a sort of self propelled steel horse if that helps. Now get on the seat behind me and hold on tight."

Reluctantly she got on the strange looking machine behind her familiar. "I know how to ride a horse thank you and I have never fallen off of one so please don't treat me like a child." Therum shrugged and turned the key to the ignition. The bike came to life with a healthy rumble causing Louise to shriek and hold tighter to Therum waist. "Do your people know how to make anything quiet?"

"This one is quiet. It still has the stock exhaust." Without another word he kicked up the kick stand and sent the machine into motion with just a little excess tire spin. Anyone in the area would have heard two voices over the sound of the bike, one female screaming and one male laughing manically. For a dirt road the quality was remarkably good. What should have been a three hour trip by normal horses was going to take the pair less than one.

***BREAK***

Back at the academy Kirche was walking the grounds with her latest beau when her peculiar sixth sense flared up. Normally this sense was just a small tingle in the back of her mind only becoming really noticeable for long periods of time during the breaks between terms when the students went home. Many mages claim to have developed sensitivity to something other than their element, Kirche for whatever reason has developed the ability to know when Louise Vallière is being teased. It is a rather pleasant tingling feeling that accounts for much of the unnecessary teasing that Kirche has give Louise over the last few years. Not a very useful ability as far as magical anomalies go, but it sure does help break up the monotony of particularly boring days. Kirche now knew what she was going to do with her day. She would find the one capable of giving her rival such a thorough teasing, learn their secrets, and turn them upon the interloper. _'I need to lose this chump and find Louise. I wonder where she is today, maybe that maid I saw with them will know.'_

***BREAK***

As the walls of the Capital city came into view Therum decided to pull the motorcycle off to the side of the road and came to a stop, much to the relief of one frazzled pinkette mage. "Looks like we are here Louise, and it only took us about half an hour to get here too. You must agree that that was much better than riding horses the whole way." After helping Louise with the straps on her helmet he once again shrunk the three items and returned them to his bag.

"So fast..." Apparently the poor girl was still a little bit out of it.

"Come along master, we have many stores to visit today and I would like to get back to the academy before dinner."

By the time they reached the city gates Louise had regained her senses enough to properly chastise him for not warning her about the motorcycle. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again I will have you flogged. I don't care who you were before, you are my familiar now and I expect to be treated like a proper master. That means if I scream for you to slow down your death machine you do not laugh like some sort of maniac and go faster. Do you understand Therum?"

"Yes master I will never pop a wheelie on my motorcycle again with you on the back. I am sorry." There is not a person in any world that would have believed that apology from a person wearing the smile he currently was. Fortunately Louise is a smart enough girl to know the futility of arguing any further with her precocious servant.

The better part of the morning was spent going around to an assortment of different shops collecting things that Louise would need for the remainder of the school year: quills, parchment, magical reagents and a text book that had wound up on the wrong end of a 'little mistake.' "Why do you mages seem to insist on using quills and ink pots to write with Louise? Would it not be simpler to use a pen?"

"What is a pen exactly? I have never heard of such a device." A look crossed Therum's features that clearly showed a small part of him dying inside.

Reaching into his bag he pulled out several small thin objects, "these are pens Louise. They are writing devices that replaced quills hundreds of year ago on earth. They come in many different styles and colors depending on what type of document you are working on." Selecting a particular one from his handful he put the rest of the pens back in his pouch. "This is an example of one of the older style pens that I know of it is called a fountain pen. Basically it is a lot like a metal tipped quill with an internal ink supply. That way you only have to refill it after several pages of writing not every few words. It also makes things a lot more convenient for taking quick notes."

"Finally something useful from your world that doesn't make loud noises or try to kill me, do you think that I could try this pen of yours out?"

"Sure thing Louise, as a matter of fact if you find us a café in the next ten minutes where we can get some lunch and a good cup of tea you can keep that one."

"In that case I know just the place; I used to go there with my father when he had business in the city."

***BREAK***

True to her word Louise led them to a very posh looking café across from a gigantic building that looked suspiciously like a department store. A rare jolt of fear coursed through the mighty familiar. _'Considering the company I am currently in, I would rather fight a dragon than enter that place. They better have some damn good tea here. Odd why are there several people in armor at this café it doesn't exactly look like a high crime establishment. Especially considering that there only seems to be one other patron.'_ "Louise is it common for half a dozen armed guards to be canvassing this café," he asked as the pair sat down despite the cold stares the guards were giving them.

"No this is usually a very quiet café, besides those are the royal gunpowder squad so they only interfere with things concerning the queen or the princess." No sooner had she finished her explanation then the only other person seated in the café turned around to inspect the newcomers. The look of shock on Louise's face told Therum that she knew the lavender haired young woman at the other table. It also would seem that the woman in question knew who Louise was, because as soon as she saw them the summoned one of her guards to her side. After a brief conversation just out of Therum's hearing range the blonde haired knight advanced on their table. Being the paranoid type that he is the battle mage familiar discretely armed himself with a couple of throwing knives he kept up his sleeves.

Coming up to their table, the blonde knight addressed Louise. "I am Agnes leader of her majesties gunpowder soldiers, are you Louise Francois le Blanc de la Vallière?" Louise nodded in the affirmative. "Good, Lady Henrietta de Tristain has extended an invite to your party to join her for lunch. Please come with me." Shrugging Therum got to his feet and fell in line behind the attractive yet high strung blonde woman. "As a first and only warning sir if you try anything with those concealed weapons of yours I will kill you without hesitation."

_'She saw that did she? This woman could be the first serious warrior I've met since coming to this insane excuse for a planet. Well if the purple headed beauty over there is royalty of some sort that definitely explains the abundance of guards around this place.'_

When the party was just a few feet from the table its sole occupant practically leapt from her seat to engulf the smaller pinkette in a friendly hug. "Oh Louise Francois it is you, I have missed you dearly. And look at this I seem to have interrupted your lunch with your lover I am so sorry." Therum had to fight back a laugh with only mild success. Louise turned near as red as Kirche's hair.

"He is not my lover! He is my increasingly bothersome familiar and nothing more."

"Come, come Louise I thought that we were past this. You and I both know there if more between us than a simple familiar bond. Why don't you at least introduce me to this young lady before you go belittling our relationship?" Using a little more flare than absolutely necessary, Therum gave a bow before introducing himself. "I am Therum Magnus familiar to Miss Vallière and friend to Louise." The sputtering rage and embarrassment Louise was fighting was thoroughly ignored. "I will confirm however, that as she said Louise and I are not currently in a romantic or physical relationship." He planted a small kiss on the princesses' hand.

"A pleasure to meet you fine sir if Louise trusts you then I am sure that you are a fine nobleman of good standing. Please have a seat I was just ordering a light lunch when you two entered."

"Thank you for your invitation Miss Henrietta good tea is always enhanced by good company." Feeling a mild pain in his ribs Therum looked over to see a highly irritated Louise.

"You do not address her majesty by her first name in such a casual manner. You should call her Your Majesty or at least Princess out of respect."

"Louise please you don't need to be so formal with me. We are old friends after all I do not want you to treat me differently simply because a couple of years have passed since our last visit. If Sir Therum would like to call me Henrietta then he may, especially in this informal setting. That is why I came out shopping today instead of having the palace servants do it for me, so that the people can interact with me in a comfortable setting."

"Wise words indeed, but I must stop you and make a correction. I am not a noble or even one of your subjects. I was summoned by Louise here during her familiar ritual from a far away land. Where I come from my people overthrew an oppressive monarchy centuries ago so my courtly demeanor may be a little rough. Feel free to point out any mistakes I make in formalities I will try to fix the ones that do not go against my principles."

"My Louise you sure have called an interesting sort of familiar haven't you. I would expect nothing less from you my friend. As to you good sir, if you are a friend of my dear Louise then you do not have to worry about being formal with me either."

"Please your majesty you praise me too much I really don't deserve it. I was just fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a royal playmate. As for him," she gestures with her thumb, "I sometimes believe he is more trouble than he is worth."

Right around this time the tea showed up and the main topic of conversation tuned the two girls out, tea is not to be wasted in the name of gossip. Pouring a cup for himself and then a second he politely excused himself from the table. Taking the two cups with him he walked over to the knight captain from earlier and offered her one while sipping on his own. At first he was just eyes suspiciously by the blonde knight but seeing as how she had watched him fix both cups and did not detect any hostile intent from the stranger be took the second cup from him. "Hope you don't mind cream and honey. I don't think that those two even know that I left the table."

Agnes took a moment to regard the strange man. _'He speaks as if he is the equal of a noble but claims not to be of such lineage. He said that he is the familiar to the Vallière girl but act as if he is nothing more than an older classmate and talks to the princess as if she were just another girl. The most troubling thing by far is his body language it does not match up with his actions at all. He acts like such a gentle person but to a trained eye he is one wrong move away from a fight. If he is that well trained I don't know that I could win against him. I am going to have to watch him closely around the princess.'_ "That may be true, from what I know those girls once were very close to each other and the princess has not had any close contact with anyone outside the castle in a long time. This is good for both of them." She took a sip of her own tea_. 'Damn the nobility has good tea, but that one pot would cost me two days wage.'_

"I agree completely Knight Agnes, I am just worried about their good mood and our relative proximity to a rather large and expensive looking store. Mark my words as the hired help this will not end well for us."

***BREAK***

"I really hate being right all the time about things like this. I swear between the two of them they must have bought half the freaking store. What do two girls need with twelve new pairs of shoes and half a dozen complete new outfits each? Louise doesn't even wear hats."

"If I recall Mister Magnus you spent an awful long time talking with the stationary clerk and the girl at the watch counter. Maybe you should give them some slack."

"That was different Agnes I was brokering a business deal with the stationary salesman. As for the nice young lady behind the watch desk, it took a while to describe the exact piece I wanted commissioned." This earned him a raised eyebrow form the swordswoman.

"You said you were just a simple familiar when talking to the princess during lunch what could you have needed nearly an hour to discuss with two very specialized merchants?"

Enter the Therum Magnus predatory grin variant 5. "During a conversation with Louise earlier today, before we met you and the princess, I learned that a device I am very used to having available has not been invented here. So, while we were in a store that caters nobles who tend to like spending stupid amounts of money on status symbols, I sold the design and 100 startup units. Here have a free sample." Therum knew that he shouldn't have thrown the pen like a weapon but it was just too good of a chance to pass up, besides with the cap on chances of injury are fairly small.

Catching the missile with practiced ease Agnes regarded it with curiosity. Finding the cap she removes the lid to reveal the platinum plated tip. To her it looked like some sort of bizarre mutation of a fancy quill. "What is it some bizarre writing instrument?"

"That is exactly what it is. It is called a fountain pen and is basically a combination of an ink pot and a quill. I sold them to that merchant for 25 new gold pieces each and lord knows how much he will pass them on to his customers for. I also have a contract for a thousand more if they sell well."

"Are you telling me that you just made 2500 gold pieces in an hour selling novelty writing devices? That is nearly twice my annual salary!"

"Really, I just assumed that since the quills that Louise bought earlier were each a gold piece and that pot of tea was 5G that I was letting them go pretty cheap."

"That café is the most exclusive one in the city. Only the wealthiest of nobility eat there because while the food is wonderful, the prices are outrageous."

"Well in that case please enjoy my gift of Magnus Industries #101 collectable writing utensils; here is the box and certificate of authenticity to go with it. If you want you can sell it but I think that a personalized pen will be hard to pawn off."

"What do you mean personalized there is nothing personal about this thing."

"Are you sure about that Captain I think it is pretty personal."

"I am absolutely sure…" looking at the pen again she watched as a delicate silver script appeared around the cobalt shaft of the pen. _To Captain Agnes from Therum Magnus in hopes that your sword will always be sharper than this pen._ "How did that happen? That was not there when you threw it at me.

"I don't know maybe you overlooked it the first time or maybe there is a little magic in the air." Leaving one slightly rattled captain behind the humored familiar made to return to his master's side.

"Therum what have you done this time? You only have that look right before or right after you've done something troublesome?" Looking worried she asked, "where are the clothes that The Princess purchased for me today you haven't done something to them have you?"

"Rest assured master I have not done anything to your items they are safely secured in my bag. All I have done is given a small gift to Henrietta's Captain."

"How can you possibly fit all of those bags and boxes into that small bag sir? It does not look near big enough to hold even a small percentage of their bulk," The Princess questioned.

"It's bigger on the inside than it looks," is his only reply.

She looked about to question further until Louise interrupted. "Don't bother Your Majesty that is likely the best answer you are going to get out of that one. I would be more worried about what he has done to Agnes."

Somehow sensing that they were talking about her Agnes joined the group. "You have need of me Your Majesty?"

"Nothing of the sort Agnes, Therum here had just mentioned that he gave you some sort of gift." Knowing what the Princess was referencing she retrieved the small rectangular box from one of her carrying pouches.

"He gave me this when I questioned his business with the stationary salesman." Taking the box from her servant Henrietta and Louise opened it to reveal the pen and the inscription upon it. Louise shot him an ominous look. He pretended not to notice as he wiped a smudge off his glasses.

"I saw these just a few minutes ago they were selling for 100G each. Apparently they are some sort of new sensation among nobles in Gallia. The workmanship in the inscription must have easily doubled the price. Therum where did you get the money for something like this and why give it to a woman you just met?" Of course Louise recognized the device if not that particular one.

"Miss Henrietta if you would look at the certificate under the lining of the box please."

"It says Limited Edition Fountain Pen # 101 a product of Magnus Industries. Isn't that your last name?"

"That it is and I can assure you that these things come from a lot further than Gallia and that the only ones on the continent are in this store. I gave one to Agnes because she seems like a person who would never say so but likes to get gifts like any other lovely lady." Right on cue the stoic Captain was overcome by a mild yet insuppressible blush. Would you two like one as well? A ruler of her people should be up to date on fashionable writing utensils."

"I would be glad to accept your offer how long will it take you to have one ready?"

"I would say about 5-10 seconds." After a brief bit of rummaging around in his bag he produced a pair of boxes for the two noble girls each matching the prospective owner's hair color."

"There you are ladies enjoy. You can refill them with any color ink you want, but they all come stock with the same color ink as the casing. The instructions are in the box."

***BREAK***

"I am so glad that I got to spend an afternoon with you Louise we really must do this again very soon. Maybe we can make some time next week when I come to the academy for the familiar exhibition."

'_I'll have to ask Louise what this whole familiar exhibition is about. Something tells me I'm not going to like it._

Making their way back to the city gates the duo was unaware that they had been followed for the last several streets. "Are you sure that you do not want me to get you a new sword or anything Therum? I still have some of my allowance left over thanks to how much I saved thanks to the princess insisting on paying for everything."

"Thank you for the offer Master, but I assure you that there is not a sword you could buy me that would be an improvement to the one that I already have." _'I will eat my boots if someone can even find a rival for my dear Aurora.'_

Their stalker interpreted his words to mean that Louise de la Vallière could not even afford to equip her familiar with a sword that would not embarrass her Familiar. 'Don't worry darling I will spare you from all of her failures even as far as getting you a proper sword.'

***BREAK***

"Do we have to take that motor thingy back to the academy?"

"If you do not want to ride back with me you can always walk back or I could probably send you back with magic if you prefer. That would be quicker and quieter but I can't assure the quality of the landing. There is a small chance you could wind up spattered on one of the castle walls."

"I, I'll just ride back with you. Now that I know about the noise and the speed it shouldn't be too bad this time. Just go a bit slower this time ok? The first time was too rough and fast for my liking."

Therum had to fight back a laugh. "If that is your wish master we can have a nice leisurely ride back. It'll take a bit longer but we should still get back somewhere around dusk. Put your helmet on and we can get going." When Louise was once again seated behind Therum on the motorcycle he took off at a much more casual pace than he had maintained that morning. That said they were still making much better time than anything short of a dragon or a gryphon could ever hope to keep up with.

One such dragon and its two young riders were also on their way back to the Tristain Magical Academy. "I can't believe that that stupid weapon salesman made me take this stupid piece of junk before he would give me a discount on the one that I really wanted. The stupid, old, lecherous thing will be a perfect gift for Louise."

"You suggest one time that someone's chest would be a good place to hide a sword and this is the treatment I get? That's the last time I offer sound tactical advice to you missy." Apparently the sword doesn't like being called old.

"Below," Tabitha Pointed.

The small party had been flying fast to make it back to the castle before dark and had now spotted a strange craft below them moving much faster than any horse ever could. "What do you think that is Tabitha? It looks like there are two people riding it and they are heading for the castle."

"I don't know."

***Break***

"Louise look above us isn't that Tabitha's dragon Sylphid?"

"I think it is but what would it be doing way out here we are still several miles from the castle."

"Maybe it's out hunting, or Tabitha could have needed to go into town for a new book or something I don't think I have ever seen her without one. Maybe I should show her my library sometime. You want to see how fast she can fly? I think I saw a flash of red your friend Kirche could be up there too."

"Do it," was all the confirmation he needed to let his horses sing.

"You had better hold on tight master this might get a little bumpy." Nobody can easily say that Therum Magnus doesn't put on a good show. When he felt Louise's grip tighten around his midsection he dropped the bike a gear while mashing down on the throttle. A good way to quickly accelerate for sure but with the downside of throwing up the front wheel on a well tuned bike. Just like that the two on the iron horse were gone.

***BREAK***

"They're fast," was the triple comment from above.

"Tabitha do you think that Sophie can catch them?"

"We will see."She leaned forward so that the dragon could hear her better, "catch up with them."As an afterthought, "Don't eat them."

Down on the ground when they had finally reached the academy Louise had overcome her fear with mirthful joy. "I got a look as we sped away that was definitely Tabitha and that annoying Zerbst girl. If only I could have seen the look on their face when you did that wheel air thing all of her taunts might have been worth it."

"I am glad you enjoyed the ride back more than the trip to the capital. Now step away from the bike I need to hide it before the others get here." If any magician in Vegas could make a motorcycle disappear as fast as he could they would be the wealthiest people in the city. "Try to act inconspicuous I am going to the kitchen for something to eat."

"Can I come with you? I got so wrapped up in spending time with the princess that I forgot we missed dinner."

"It's fine by me Louise but you had best treat the cooks with respect. They are my friends. You also can't complain about what they have to offer. I usually have leftovers from whatever the staff and students are served. It wouldn't be polite to demand they make us something special."

They hadn't made it ten feet before their path was cut off by a massive case of dragon in the way. "Darling there you are where have you been all day? I looked all over the city for you after that maid told me you two Left the castle early this morning. It took me nearly an hour to convince Tabitha to help me look. None of that matters now though because I finally found you!" The flying tackle Therum got hit by would have made any professional wrestler proud to witness.

"Zerbst stop assaulting my familiar like that! What is the meaning of you stalking us! Where I go, and who I take with me, is none of your business."

Lifting the busty girl off of him as is she weighed little more than a feather the familiar took to brushing the dust off his clothes. "We spent the afternoon shopping with Princess Henrietta and Knight Captain Agnes. Louise bought many clothes and I commissioned a custom watch using the proceeds from a successful business deal. Is that enough information to satisfy you?"

"That is why I love you Darling you can make these impossible situations work to your advantage. You can even sway royalty to your side. You can make me work to your advantage any time you want. Louise can come too if you are in to that kind of thing. I have plenty of passion to share. Oh that reminds me I got you something while we were in the city. Since Louise can't seem to meet your needs properly I got you the finest sword in the city." Retrieving a monstrous golden sword from its resting place on the dragon's back Kirche presented the blade to her latest crush.

Taking the sword to humor the girl Therum unsheathe it and took a few practice swings to get a feel for the weapon. Returning the blade to its scabbard he leaned against the weapon as if it were a cane.

Without taking her eyes off of Therum during his display Kirche tossed the second sword in the general direction of Louise. "You can have that one Vallière. The salesman would not let me have the nicer one without taking that piece of junk too. Maybe you can learn to use it since you obviously can't use magic."

"What do you think girls does it make me look like a wealthy noble?" Kirche and Louise both sounded an affirmative, though the latter was a bit more subdued, and Tabitha gave a small nod from behind her book. "Good then it is not a completely worthless paper weight."

Obviously that is not the response Kirche expected. "The salesman told me that that was the finest sword in the shop."

"It is a very well crafted item no doubt but I have clubs that would be more effective weapons. It's too heavy to use in long term combat, the blade is gold plated so it will never hold an edge, and the balance is several different hinds of wrong. I would promise to wear it if I should ever need to look pompous and rich but otherwise I have no use for it. I already have the finest sword in existence."

"You do have a good eye for blades Partner but I must disagree you have at best the second greatest sword in existence. This girl here now has the greatest sword in existence."  
Louise yelped and dropped the sword in her arms, "Did that sword just talk?"

"I think that it did indeed little master." Therum walked over and picked up the poor sword. Performing the same maneuvers as before handing the blade back to Louise, he gave a nod of approval. "Not exactly my style but I can agree with you sir sword you are indeed a fine blade."

"The name's Derflinger Partner. It has been a long time since I was handled with the skill you just showed, you sure you aren't looking for another sword. I would much rather be a backup weapon for a true swordsman than be wielded by these girls who keep dropping me all over the place."

"Sorry mate I already have more than enough swords as it is I'm actually about to give one back." Turning to Kirche," I appreciate the offer Kirche, but I am happy with Aurora as my sword I cannot accept this gift."

"What am I supposed to do with a sword I can't return it and as a proper noble I have no use for one?" Therum had a feeling that the last part was a jibe at Louise.

"Not to be rude but I really don't care if you throw it in a lake. Maybe a water spirit will enchant it to be worth using and lob it at a passing king or something. Now if you will excuse me I am off to find some supper. Goodnight Tabitha talking with you has been a pleasure as always." Between the darkness and her book Tabitha was grateful nobody could see the small blush on her cheeks. Kirche walked back to her room in quiet reflection. No man had resisted her advances like this before…

***BREAK***

"Good evening Siesta et all how have you been today? This is my little master Louise le blanch de la Vallière. Louise this is the mangy lot that prepares that slop you eat on a daily basis."

"What are you calling slop?" Therum found himself in a headlock courtesy of Marteau the head chef. "You practically worship my cooking with how much of my food you have eaten."

"That is because you never let me cook for myself. Any time I come within fifty feet of this place I get dragged in here to be your food taster." Therum may have hit a nerve.

"Nobody uses my kitchen without my permission."

"Well seeing as it is late and it would seem that you have cleaned up everything for the night may I use your kitchen to fix a small meal for my little master and myself? Our business kept up out later than expected."

"I don't suppose that you could do any harm boy have at it. But only if you fix a plate for Siesta and me too we have not had our supper yet."

"It would be my pleasure. Now go somewhere else for a little while I won't have you stealing all my secrets."

***BREAK***

"Tuck in kids before it gets cold."

"What in the name of the founder is this mess lad?"

"It is called spaghetti and meat balls with garlic butter bread. It's a simple peasant's dish from a place called Italy. I hope it tastes alright; the kitchen did not have some of the spices I needed so I had to improvise a little."

"How do you eat it?" Apparently these people had never seen anything like the long noodles before.

"Like this," demonstrating proper pasta twirling technique Therum dived into his plate. The others were short to follow. Some caused slightly greater messed than others.

"You must give me the recipe to this dish Therum, it is wonderful." Marteau was becoming more and more fond of the strange young man who walked with the nobility but wasn't afraid to work like a commoner.

"Sure thing my friend I'll teach it to you tomorrow, but tonight I am going to sleep."

"Please leave the dishes to me Therum it is the least that I can do for all that you have done."

"Thank you Siesta that is very kind of you. Louise I am going to bed now I will set your clothes out and wake you at dawn."

***BREAK***

The silence of the early morning is broken by the ringing of a small bell, followed by the crack of a bolt of lightning effectively silencing the infernal sound. _'Why did I have to be summoned by a morning person? I hate mornings. I have to get up in time to get not only myself ready but her too.'_ Choosing an outfit from one of his chests similar to the all black one from his first day, he cast a number of cleaning spells on himself and went to wake the mageling. _'They're not near as refreshing as a good shower but if it lets me sleep an extra twenty minutes I'll live.'_

"Louise time to get up sweetheart, you don't want to be late today do you?" _'I probably didn't need to shake her that hard but if I have to suffer through the early hours so does she.'_

"Wah stop shaking me! Wait did you just call me sweetheart? That is not how you should address your master!"

"You did call me mother the first time I had to wake you up; I just figured I would return the favor. Now move your butt missy I have things to do today myself and I don't want to be blamed if you fall back asleep. Your clothes are laid out on the desk. I'll see you at lunch if everything goes well."

Louise sighed, _'One of us is going to kill the other one of these days. I'm just not sure who.'_

***BREAK***

_'I wonder where the hell the head master's office is. Siesta never showed me where it is and I really don't want to have to search this whole stupid castle all day. Maybe breakfast is still going on and I can get directions from there.'_

"Of course, you spend twenty extra minutes lost in a corridor and they clear away everything on you. Just once I would like something helpful to randomly happen to me."

"Mister Magnus is that you? I have been looking for you all morning the Headmaster and I would like to talk to you for a few minutes."

Fortunately for the sake of his reputation Professor Colbert did not see the face palm Therum gave himself. _'When I die I am going to find who or whatever I pissed off up there and either apologize, or kick them in the teeth.'_ "What a coincidence I was hoping that I might be able to have a few words with the headmaster myself I had wanted to catch him at breakfast but I guess I am a bit late."

"Excellent if you will follow me please he is waiting in his office now." Professor Colbert proceeded to lead Therum back to the same Corridor that he had spent the morning trying to find his way out of. _'Kick, definitely kick.'_

As Colbert said there were two people in the Headmaster's office when they entered an old white haired man that must have been the man Therum was looking for and a very attractive green haired woman. Judging by her age she was either a young professor or the old man's secretary. _'Damn do these people have something against brown hair or something? I'm going to have to start changing it to spiky blonde when I use magic or something. Maybe change the eye color while I'm at it.'_

"Ah there you are Colbert I was beginning to worry that you might not find him, but it seems that my worries were for naught. Miss Longueville you may have the rest of the afternoon off." Shrugging the secretary finished up the document she was working on and left without a word. She did slow down long enough to give the younger man a once over on her way out though. Needless to say the act did not go unnoticed by the one being examined. He winked at her as she walked by.

"Mister Colbert here tells me that you wanted to talk with me Sir."

"Indeed I did Mister Magnus but you don't need to be so formal with me. Please call me Old Osmond everyone else does, even the students. This meeting is mostly for me to get to know a newcomer to my academy. It is a very rare thing to have a human summoned as a familiar. As a matter of fact to my knowledge there is only one other recorded occurrence in our history."

"Does this happen to have something to do with Louise's strange issues with magic? She seems to be unable to use any spell yet still managed to summon someone like me."

"You are quite right in that assumption. The last person to summon a human familiar was our Founder Brimir the creator of our current way of life and the only previously known user of the Void. The runes on your hand are the same as those of the Gandálfr, Brimir's familiar. Or at least some of them are Colbert tells me that you have a second set under the Gandalfr ones. May I take a look at them?"

Therum put his hands out so that the old man can get a closer look. "If these markings are the same as the ones on your founder's familiar then it would stand to reason that Louise would be a Void mage correct?"

"You are very perceptive for such a young man. That is the conclusion that Professor Colbert and I have come to as these are indeed the ones recorded in the histories. These other ones however I have never seen before."

"I am not surprised that you have not seen them before. The ones on my right hand mark me as an honorary member of a very old and powerful family. The ones on my left are my own design and their function is none of your concern at this time."

"If you don't mind my asking do they have anything to do with what you did to the Gramont boy during that duel you two had?"

"Not really, these familiar runes had more of an effect in that situation than anything I did. I'll make a deal with you Professor Colbert. I will tell you exactly how I won that duel if you do a favor for a friend of mine, but you have to keep it a strict secret."

"An intriguing proposition you have, what would this favor be?"

"There is a maid here at the academy named Siesta who I have struck up a friendship with. During one of our conversations, shortly after the duel in question, I came upon some evidence that she might have potential to be a mage. I would like you to enroll her in this academy as a student on a scholarship." Credit must be given to the two men, most nobles would have laughed at such a proposition these two just went quiet.

"Is there anything else we could do for you instead?" Osmond seemed to have paled slightly.

"It is a pretty serious tale gentlemen I am afraid that it would take a favor of this magnitude to get me to share it. If it is a matter of money I will cover her tuition myself."

"That is not the problem Mister Magnus. A messenger of the Queen's named Count Mott came last night and requested Siesta by name to work at his manor. They left early this morning. There was nothing we could do to stop him and no way to get her back."

"If she had not been taken and did prove to be magical would deal have been possible?" Much of the previous calm and left the younger man's voice.

"Well assuming that you could afford to pay at least part of the girl's tuition and find another noble to sponsor her I do not see why not. I have spoken with her many times over the last year and I find her to be a fine young woman."

"Thank you for your time gentlemen I just remembered something very important Louise asked me to take care of and I must get it done before her classes finish for the day. I will look into this Void business in my free time."

As the two older men watched the strange familiar leave they could almost sense his distress. It could have been the lighting in the hall way but for lack of better explanations there seemed to be small sparks of lightning trailing near the young man's slightly clenched fingertips. Colbert had seen enough fighting in his life to recognize the signs the troubled youth was emitting. '_This is going to get worse before it gets better.'_

Guiche had the great miss fortune of coming across Therum's path while on the way back to his room. He tried to slip away without being seen but was just a bit too slow. "Hey Guiche, come here for a second I want to talk to you about something."

"I did as you said and apologized to all the girls please don't hurt me." The kid might be a shameless womanizer but Therum hated having people needlessly fear him. He would have to fix that sometime.

"I know you did I just wanted to ask you if you know where Count Mott's manor is. Louise wanted me to deliver him a message from her father that we picked up yesterday in town. I told her I could find it on my own but I have no idea where the place is."

***BREAK***

_'I had really hoped that I would never have to use this again but I can't leave that sweet girl at the hands of some depraved old count.'_ In his hand Therum holds a sword very much like the one he used in the duel against Guiche. The key difference in their appearance lay in the colors of the metal. Where the previous blade was a radiant blue that made the blade look almost liquid, this one is blood red and strongly resembled a raging inferno in the right light. _'Why does magic have to be so completely screwed up? I make something beautiful in Aurora and it spits out Umbra, one sword to be the perfect guard only able to kill in defense and the other only to be used as a tool of death. I hate the way this thing makes me feel but desperate times call for desperate measures. The count has robbed from the wrong man this time.' _

**A/N There you have it folks, a pretty fluffy chapter in the beginning but now we are finally about to see some action. I was originally not going to have Derflinger in the story at all because of these two swords that Therum already has but the character has too much humor potential to completely write out. That is why I gave him to Louise. I have always intended for her to learn swordplay from Therum at some point. Why not give her a weapon his swords won't turn to scrap after a few bouts. As a side note I am not a writer in any sense of the word. This story is not beta read so if anyone notices any major grammar or prose issues let me know and I will try to fix them.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four- The Void**

_'Maybe I should have taken the bike after all this place is a lot more than a couple miles up the road. I am going to kill Guiche for his bad information. Ah there it is. Damn that's a big gate.'_

"Who goes there?" Apparently he had already been spotted by the guards. Good thing this isn't a stealth mission.

"My name is Therum Magnus I am new in the area and I have business with the count. Let him know that I wish to speak with him at once it is a matter of life and death."

"Wait right there I will send someone to tell the count you are here." Twenty minutes passed and Therum was starting to get impatient when the guard finally came back. "I am sorry for your inconvenience sir but the count is tied up all day. You will have to come back later with a proper appointment."

"I am not going anywhere sir. I will speak with the count in the next twenty minutes or I will burn this castle to the ground. That is not an idle threat that is a promise. Those are your only options. I would take the first choice if I were you. I only need a few minutes of his time and I doubt he pays you guards enough to die for him."

The increasingly irate mage familiar was just about to start casting a spell he liked to call "The Overzealous Salesman" when the massive gates started to open. _'Maybe they aren't as dumb as I thought.'_ Seeing the wall of shields and spears in front of him he dismissed that idea. "Come now soldiers; is there really any need for bloodshed? I only want to ask the count one question and I will be on my way."

One of the guards stepped forward, from the look of his uniform he was probably the guard captain. "You will have five minutes to convince the count to not have you hung for trespassing. Follow me and try not to do something stupid."

"There is a fine line between Genius and insanity my friend: I like to dance on that line."

***BREAK***

"Guiche have you seen my familiar today I can't find him anywhere?"

"Yes I saw him this morning after first classes were over he asked me for directions to Count Mott's manor. He said something about wanting to deliver a letter for you. It's a shame really Mott was here just this morning picking up that pretty maid you two spend so much time with."

"Are you sure about this Guiche?" Louise was in a panic now. "Are you absolutely sure that Siesta was the maid that left with Count Mott this morning? Are you sure that it couldn't have been another girl? This could be an extremely bad situation if what you are telling me is true."

"Yeah I am sure. I never forget a lovely face and I was saddened to see such a fine girl sent off to that low life. I don't see how this could be dangerous though your familiar is only delivering a letter."

"That is just it Guiche I did not give Therum a letter for Count Mott. If I know that fool, he went to get Siesta back, and if the count refuses I don' know what Therum will do."

"What's this about Therum and Count Mott Louise?" Kirche and Tabitha entered the conversation thanks to Louise's loud anguish.

"According to Guiche, Count Mott came to the castle to pick up Siesta earlier today and I have not seen Therum since this morning. He was supposed to meet me in the Avalis Dining Hall for lunch today and he never showed up. I am afraid that he has gone to try and get her back. That fool will more than likely get himself killed. Tabitha may I use your dragon to go after him?"

"We should move quickly." Louise and Kirche were forced to run to catch up with their blue headed friend leaving behind a very confused Guiche.

"I don't get it Louise. I saw how Therum fought the other day why are you so worried for his safety?"

"I am not worried about THAT idiot Kirche. I am afraid of what Therum is going to do the count if he refuses to let the maid leave. If you haven't noticed Therum does not exactly show a lot of respect to nobles and the count is easily offended. Therum is technically a commoner if he kills a high ranking noble like Mott it will mean a lot of trouble for him. As his master I cannot allow my familiar to throw his life away like that."

"Get on." The trio had finally reached the spot where Tabitha's dragon was resting in the late afternoon sun and the real chase was about to begin.

***BREAK***

"I am so glad that you could take time out of your busy schedule to meet with me good sir."

"It is not every day that I get a stranger beating on my gate demanding an audience. It is even less common to find out that the offender is a commoner. I decided to humor you out of the kindness of my heart so please state your case. I am sure I have more important matters to attend to." Therum twitched very mildly.

"I am currently working at the Tristain Academy of Magic for one of the students. On my first night there I met the girl that you recently hired on here. We have become good friends and it distresses me when people abuse their power to subjugate those who do not have the ability to resist your actions. I want you to let the girl go and allow her to return to the academy. I will even find a way to pay you back for the costs you have incurred during this endeavor."

The count and his guards burst out into laughter. "That is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time boy. In return for humoring me I with this sad story I will not have you killed if you leave now. I am sorry son but I am not going to give my newest distraction to a common servant like you."

"Are you sure that you cannot be persuaded to reconsider your decision Count? I believe you are about to make your third grave mistake of the evening."

Like all good nobility the count showed an amazing ability to go from humored to rage. The ruling elite must have very high blood pressure. "Do you know who you are threatening kid? I am a triangle class water mage. I have made no mistakes this evening you are the one about to make a mistake."

"First off I don't care who you are I tried being humble and you all but spat on me. The two mistakes I spoke of are your having called me 'common' and a servant. I said I am working for one of the students because I was summoned by the girl during the Springtime Summoning Ritual not because I needed a job. I do not want to fight you but I am not leaving this castle without my friend the choice is yours."

"Kill him!" Mott ordered his guards. _'I will see that you live long enough to regret this.'_

Not wanting to kill the guards unless he had too, Therum struck out with the flat of his sword. Not an easy task when you chose a sword with a metal sentience for death. In the hands of a lesser willed individual every stroke from Umbra would be intended to be a death blow that siphons life, stamina, and magic from the fallen foes. A particularly gruesome way to fight but with a constant influx of new energy the wielder can fight indefinitely without tiring. Landing a solid blow with the flat of the blade reduces these effects to mere stunning blows that seldom last more than a few hours on a healthy man. The reason Therum hates this sword is the bloodlust it emits. With each blow the urge to kill grows stronger and a weak willed person could lose themselves to the sword completely. Two minutes after the scuffle started Count Mott was looking down from his throne like chair upon the man who had so easily bested his elite guards. Worse yet was the killing intent radiating off of the sword he held. As a mage he had some sensitivity to magical artifacts and this one scared the piss out of him, literally.

"You are the worst kind of person Mott. You use your power and station to oppress those that you see as weaker than yourself. Like countless oppressors before you when faced with a stronger opponent you fall to pieces. I might regret this later but allow me to show you why you should never call me common again." Therum sheathed Umbra and the count thought for a moment that he was going to be shown mercy. How wrong the poor man is. "I am going to show you a small glimpse of something my instructor showed me long ago. This is a spell called 'Total Perception' it will show you exactly how insignificant you really are. It will either teach you humility or shatter your hold on reality. "

Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche all entered the room at the same time that Therum had finished his chant. In the air was the most beautiful thing that any of the three girls had ever seen it was a swirling spiral of lights and color moving around each other at incalculable speeds. Tabitha and Kirche could feel power radiating off of the man they recognized as Therum. Louise too could feel the power of magic like any other mage but to her this was different this was the same feeling that she had felt when Therum summoned his door and to a lesser extent when she summoned him from his home. Something clicked inside her and a realization came to the girl. This was the fifth element, her element, The Void. Activating the brain's overload circuit Louise did the most logical thing she could think of and collapsed to the floor.

Hearing the sound behind him Therum ended his spell with a mild slouch, and turned to see his new audience. There in the open doorway were three faces he really had not wanted to see at the moment. Kirche had her mouth doing its best job to hit the floor and Tabitha's normally stoic features were not too far from normal except that her eyes were extremely wide. Louise appeared to have fainted. Gesturing that he would speak with the students in a moment he walked over to the count and gave him a few good smacks.

"What I showed you is how big and important you are in respect to the rest of the galaxy. Keep in mind that the galaxy I showed you is one of tens of thousands in the universe. "

"Th… thank you for teaching me such humility," the count stuttered. "You and the maid may leave in peace I will even provide a carriage back to the school for you. Before you leave though can you tell me is that really what the heavens above look like?"

"Mostly, those are the heavens of my home world I would need to alter the spell to take into account the new variables. If you change your ways and treat people with respect from here on out I may return one day and give you a slower tour. If you don't change I'll also be back. You would not like me if the second option were the case."

Only waiting long enough for Siesta to be summoned and the cart to be made ready Therum scooped up his dozing master and left Mott Manor without another word to the lord.

***BREAK***

Louise awoke on the ride back to the castle but couldn't get Therum to answer any of her questions. All she or Siesta could get out of him was that he would explain everything when he got back to the castle because he only wanted to tell things once.

It was just after dusk when the carriage finally arrived at the castle and pulled up to the welcoming party consisting of Old Osmond, Professor Colbert, Tabitha, and Kirche. The whole group was marched from the carriage to the old mage's office.

"Before I start explaining things to anyone I have to ask you Headmaster is our deal from this morning still in effect?"

"Seeing as you have gone through a lot of trouble over this I don't see why not Jean here has agreed to sponsor the young girl so if you can explain how you intend to cover cost we can cross the 'T's' and dot the 'I's so to speak.'

"What form of payment would you prefer? I have about 1500G in this nation's currency, a few bars of assorted precious metals, or some interesting magical trinkets."

"The Tuition for this school is 1200G a year so I suppose that would be the easiest method but I would love to see the trinkets of yours at a later date." The old man's eyes were almost sparkling. Making a few marks on a piece of paper on his desk he turned his attention to Siesta. Congratulations young lady you are officially the first non-noble to ever be admitted to the Tristain Academy of Magic you will join the first years in the morning until you are able to catch up with the rest of the second year aged students."

Therum tossed her the bag with the rest of his coins in it. "That should cover your lost wages and any supplies that you will need for the term. Congratulations Siesta."

Four young girls harmonized with a resounding, "WHAT?"

Professor Colbert stepped in to explain everything to the girls. "Earlier this morning Mister Magnus had a meeting with the Headmaster and I about a few things. In exchange for information that he should soon deliver we agreed to enroll Siesta here as a trial student, with me as her noble sponsor and Therum as the finical backer. I don't know where he got the money or how he knows the girl has magic but I do not detect any deceit from him so I don't really care. The way things seem to be unfolding around him are much too interesting to be bothered with such trifles."

"Therum I cannot accept this that is far too much money I barely make this much money in a year after room and board are taken out and that doesn't count the tuition costs."

"Don't worry about it Siesta I made that money selling novelty items to nobility in an afternoon I will not miss it. I would be more worried about not wasting this chance if I were you. Now as I see it you are all here because you would like me to explain a few things, am I correct?

"Very correct Mister Magnus please share what you can."

"Very well then I will give you an abridged version of my story. Some of you already know part of it and others may have some suspicions. I only ask that what is told in this room stays here a little longer are we agreed?"

A smattering of "yes" coursed around the room.

"No interruptions while I am talking. If anyone interrupts my speech I am going to bed. First things first I am not a noble like you are but I am still one of the most skilled mages any of you will likely ever meet.."

Kirche and Colbert had to use their hands to stifle their comments. Osmond and Tabitha looked as if they had been expecting something along those lines to come from him, and Louise and Siesta had already heard some of his story so did not react much.

"I am also not from this planet. When Louise called me during the ritual I had just finished another magical ceremony that must have weakened my usual magical resistance. The ceremony I had been doing was an initiation right of sorts for an outsider to be recognized as a practicing magician on my home world. The trial that I had to go through is not one to be taken lightly. It is designed to weed out the serious magicians from the casual amateurs. In most cases the price for failing whatever task you get assigned is death. I refuse to go into the details of what happened during my trial but I can say that I did finish the task and was on my way back to report to the international high council when I got summoned. I was a lot like Siesta when I first began learning to control the arcane. I was not born into our secluded world of Magi I was artificially awakened by the most powerful mage in known existence. They will not miss me and I will not miss them. To be honest I am perfectly alright with being here now. There wasn't a whole lot left for me back home. "

Therum paused his story long enough to take a drink of something out of his pockets, then offered it to a confused Jean Colbert. "It's Brandy, the stuff works as a natural mana restorative." Not wanting to offend the man bearing his soul Colbert took a swig and passed the container along to the next person. Once everyone had helped to empty his flash Therum resumed his story.

"The man who awakened my magic is a brilliant magician but he has issues with precision work. Instead of just jump starting my magical core he accidentally passed on the vast majority of his knowledge about practical magic and theory before realizing what he had done. That is what this symbol on my right hand is from it marks me as a family member and his disciple. It also helps focus high intensity magic like a wand would for your mages, among other things. I learned well over a century of magic in under five minutes. I know spells that can decimate castles and call fourth the beasts of hell to do my bidding. Many of which I most likely will never use. To put it into terms you would understand I am probably at least an octagon level mage in terms of knowledge and practical application. In terms of raw power however on my own I am barely on par with a decent line or triangle mage. Any Questions? "

Much to the surprise of everyone Tabitha was the first to speak. "What spell did you use on the count?"

"That one is called "Total Perception," at full intensity it calls up a full visual of the entire universe and sticks a person in the middle of it showing how small they really are in relation to the entirety of all creation. It is meant to be used to shatter a person's mind. The version I used on the count was a small portion of the galaxy where I am from. If you would give me a little power boost, Louise, I can show it to you all."

"Why pick Louise and not one of us who can actually use magic?"

"Simple Kirche near as I can tell from the information I have, this is most similar to a void spell and Louise is the only Void mage in the room. Now be quiet or you won't get to see the show." That little tidbit of information shut the flirtatious girl up quickly.

"Louise, please give me your hand and concentrate on feeling the magic." Pulling his custom wand out of his pocket Therum began to cast again while all the other mages barely dared to breath. Louise felt the connection again that she was beginning to associate with Void magic. It was like fire coursed in her blood and she could almost hear it sing. The feeling was much stronger this time because Therum was actually using her power to cast and the strange sensation made her want to yell in bliss. This was the moment that Louise de la Vallière knew she would never be The Zero again she had magic and it could do amazing things. At the end of his spell the swirling mass of lights that the three girls had seen before was now spread out between the circled group. "This is a variant of 'Total Perception' that I came up with as part of my initiation process after playing a game. I call it an interactive star map. It is a lot like very long distance scrying but it only shows the moment in time during the casting." Reaching out and touching specific parts of the swirling mass the images changed until it came to rest on a blue green orb. "This is earth the world that I come from."

With a wave of the wand the construct dispersed and Louise slumped into the chair behind her. "I feel tired now, so very good but tired too."

"You probably have mild magic exhaustion that is all," Osmond comforted. "That was the largest piece of magic you have ever cast isn't it dear. It will get easier with time now that we know what magic to research for you. Sadly I do not know of anywhere that you can find any literature on the subject. It is rumored that the royal family might have a book that once belonged to the founder. I will use my connections and see what I can dig up."

"If there are no more questions for Mister Magnus at this time I suggest that we all call it an evening it has been a tiring day for all I am sure. Siesta, Professor Colbert will show you to your new quarters and your classes will begin first thing in the morning."

"Just to be clear I didn't just dream all this did I? Darling is a masterful mage from another planet, the maid became a student here, and Louise is a Void mage and we can't tell anyone not in this room about any of it?"

"That sums it up rather nicely Miss Zerbst thank you. Now off to bed it is much past curfew."

***BREAK***

"Hey partners where…GWAH... what is that think on your belt? I am a sword and I have never felt that kind of killing intent."

"That is my other sword, Umbra, its sole purpose in life is to kill. I do not like using it if I can help it but I thought I might need it. Don't worry I won't ask you to play nice with it."

"I don't think I am the blade you have to worry about. I doubt that thing could play nice with anything. Why would anyone make such a thing?"

"They didn't magic randomly spit it out to cancel out the potential for good in my other sword. I have played with the idea of fusing them but I am afraid of what might happen. Either way Derf I'll talk more with you tomorrow I am very tired right now and all I can think about is sleep. I have a feeling that Kirche girl is going to be even more difficult to get rid of now. "

"What makes you think that Partner's partner?"

"She was all over him before she knew he could easily become a noble now that she knows he can use magic she will be even bolder."

"I say you go for it. It never hurts to have a little political power behind your sword arm. Some battles can't be won by a sword. Not even one as amazing as me."

"That reminds me you would look a lot better cleaned up mister sword." A small bolt of magic later and the sword looked like it did the day it was forged. "Enjoy your clean sword Louise I am going to start teaching you how to use it in the next few days. G'night!"

**A/N I decided to put dealing with Count Mott and Therum ousting himself into their own chapter because it doesn't really fit in as part of the last chapter or the next one. So I guess just enjoy the short Bonus chapter. I made Siesta a first year because she has a lot of things to learn about being a mage even though she is the same age as either an old second year or a young third year. The next full chapter should cover the fallout from her becoming a familiar and the events up to and around the Fouquet saga.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Lessons Begin the Zero Returns**

Two days ago life had changed for the vast majority of The Tristain Academy of Magic. Those not able to cope well with change had their lives turned completely upside down. The uproar and general sense of uneasiness can be traced back from several components to a single source. The cause of all this trouble is not some kind of political turmoil or a ferocious monster but a single man who was doing his best to enjoy a quiet nap in the courtyard. Despite his well practiced aloof demeanor and the presence of a hammock, he was well aware that a small group was coming after him with the intention to interrupt his pleasant nap.

:THUD: "Oomph. Why would you do such a terrible thing to your poor familiar Louise I was trying to mind my own business for once." Picking himself up off the ground Therum tried to look hurt and repentant. An act he was failing miserably thanks to the casual way he was dusting himself off. "What have I done this time?"

"You know very well what you have done. Getting Siesta enrolled here as a student has half the students ready to riot."

"As long as they don't try to do anything to her I don't care what they think. She has potential to be a pretty good first generation magician and I intend to see that happen, even if I have to duel every noble brat in this school. "

"You might get that wish idiot, there is a group of students heading this way right now looking for you. Somehow the information got out that you are the one who got her put into the school."

"It's about time if you ask me I was expecting the lynch mob this time yesterday. Why else do you think that I have been here on my hammock all day instead of doing something productive with my time like teaching you a couple spells that you might be able to work with now that I know what to look for? It's a damn shame that book the Headmaster mentioned is unavailable right now. I could have used a direction to go with. I can teach you some low level spells but it will just be shooting blind until I have more data to work with. Oh look here they are."

"There they are!" A black cloaked student with a Doberman familiar was leading the mob.

"Here I am," replied Therum's cheeky response. "What can I do for you on this fine day? Your friends are rather loud and I was trying to take a nap in the shade of this tree. You are being very rude sir. Didn't your parents teach you manners?"

"I am Jean-Claude Francois the son of Barron Francois and I do not appreciate the disrespect you have shown this academy and now myself. I don't know how you fooled the Headmaster into letting that commoner pretend to be a mage but it stops now. You will undo whatever trickery you have done and remove her from the grounds immediately."

"If I refuse to do as you say what will you do? I bested one of your own last week in fair open combat what makes you think that you will fare any better?"

"You bested Gramont because he is barely a line class earth mage I am a triangle class fire mage. Your silly sword will not be able to get anywhere close to me."

Therum stroked his nonexistent beard for a moment. "What problem do you have with Siesta going to school here? I guarantee she can be taught magic."

"She is a mere commoner. This is a school for the sons and daughters of nobility no commoner has ever gone here before. Even if she can cast a couple of simple parlor tricks she does not have the upbringing or the finical backing to belong here. It is for her own good that she be sent back to working in the kitchens and cleaning the castle."

"I come from a land where our people were segregated too. Many people made many of the same excuses you just used. History eventually shows that those opposed to fair integration had misguided their fears. I believe that every man woman and child should be able to make their own way in life using every opportunity given to them. To be fair I would like to make a proposition for a peaceful resolution to this mess will you hear me out?"

Jean turned to council with a few of the other older students in the mob and spoke quite animatedly with them for a few moments. Finally they came to some sort of agreement and he turned back to Therum and Louise. "We will hear your proposition, but if we don't like it we withhold the right to continue running the two of you out of the academy and pin the blame on your summoner."

Louise gulped but really wanted to hear what her insane familiar had to say. "I am not exactly certain on this but if my information is correct there is a Familiar Exhibition in about a week that The Princess of Tristain will be attending. As far as I know she should get here sometime the day before the exhibition. What I propose is that we hold a test the day before with her as a neutral judge so that nobody can be accused of being biased. The test will consist of anything you all believe a proper student of this school should be able to do. If we fail to pass by at least the bare minimum of what you think it means to be a noble Siesta Louise and myself will leave the school. If a maid, a familiar, and a failed mage can pass your test we will be left alone. Do we have a deal?"

Another huddle formed and the arguments were even louder that the previous ones. After nearly 15 minutes of debate the group came to an agreement. "After much deliberation we have come to an agreement that it will be more fun to watch you three make fools of yourselves in front of the princess than to simply throw you out. As a plus we will also be able to get rid of The Zero if we go along with your plan."

"Wonderful I will go meet with the Headmaster to try and get this cleared as soon as your lot drafts up a contract saying what we will be expected to do to make sure that we are all on the same page."

"Therum how could you make that agreement without asking your master's permission? Do you realize what will happen to us if we don't meet whatever demands they make?"

"I imagine that Siesta will be forced to withdraw from the academy and be sent back to her village in shame and you will be sent to your family in shame. Depending on their actions I will either return with you to your family to continue your private tutelage, or will get pissed off and go on a massive killing spree slaying every pompous noble that I can find. Except for you, Tabitha, Henrietta and maybe Kirche."

***BREAK***

"Siesta how are your classes going, are you coping well with the new information?

"It is all so new and fascinating. I am working with Professor Colbert in my free time to try and catch up with the rest of the students. He already taught me four spells to try and figure out which element I have an affinity for. I can move small pebbles around, fill a glass with water, summon a small breeze and light a candle with a wand!" The excitable former maid was bouncing by the end. "I can do all of them but filling the cup was the easiest and lighting the candle took me almost a whole day to learn so the professor thinks that I am probably going to be a water mage."

Louise stalked off to one of the corners of the kitchen while Siesta unknowingly rubbed her lack of magical success in her face. Louise was happy for the girl who was quickly becoming one of her best friends but it still bruised he pride that a mere commoner was a more natural magician than she is.

"I heard that some of the nobles are giving you trouble about being a student here."

Siesta's face drooped a bit from her previous high. "They say some very hurtful things about me when they think I can't hear them and one boy in my courtly proceedings class said that the trash is supposed to be taken out of the school not into the classrooms. I didn't let him see it but I cried for an hour after the class was over down here in the kitchens. That is why I still eat down here and not with the rest of the students. The staff members are still very nice to me and are even more proud of me becoming a student than they were when you beat Guiche. I even sent a letter to my family back in Tarbes with the money left over from buying my school supplies. I hope they will be proud of me too."

"That brings me to why Louise and I are down here. I think I have a way to get the nobles to leave you, me and Louise alone."

"You won't have to hurt any of them will you Mr. Therum? I know that they are very cruel but I would not want them to get hurt over me I would rather give up this magic than let something like that happen!"

"I assure you it is nothing that crude, 'yet.' I worked out a deal with a number of the unhappy students earlier today when they messed up my nap. In five days Princess Henrietta will be coming to the castle to judge the familiar exhibition. The evening before the exhibition we are going to have to go through a trial of nobility with the princess acting a judge. If we pass the trial they will leave us alone and if we fail we have to leave the castle."

"AH. No Therum you and Louise cannot risk your lives here just because some people are being mean to me it's not worth it."

"It wasn't my idea to risk my honor for yours; this is all his idea so he gets both the blame and praise depending on the outcome. I must sadly admit that it is a good idea though it is the easiest way to end this issue without Therum blowing up half the next generation of nobility."

"I am glad we are on the same page here then girls. Tomorrow we start preparing for our trials after I get the rules from that Francois dolt. I need to get a few things prepared for our training tomorrow if you will excuse me ladies."

"Louise you spend more time with him than I do. Does he ever get less crazy sounding?"

Louise sighed as she watched he familiar disappear, "unfortunately he tends to sound crazier as time goes on but I am learning that there is a method to his madness. I have little choice but to trust him in this matter. What's the worst that could happen?"

***BREAK***

Locked away safely in his room Therum had filled most of the center space with tables covered in all sorts of vials and odd looking pieces of equipment. To most the setup would not look too far out of place in the laboratory of a mad scientist. The only things that they might not recognize are the actual contents of the glasses that he was working with. As a self proclaimed scientist it only stands to reason that Therum would use precision chemistry equipment when making potions instead of the archaic tools that even the magi on earth still use.

"Hey Therum are you in here? Those guys finally finished the contract we need to give the Headmaster."

"I didn't think that they would have it ready until tomorrow. Have you looked at it yet?"

"No I thought it would be best if all of us looked at it together so that we can come up with the best plan of action as a team. Siesta should be here any minute now."

"Ok let me just put this project under stasis and we can take a look at it."

Poking he head into his room Louise couldn't make heads or tails of the equipment spread out over the place. "Where do you keep getting all of this stuff?"

"Each of those five trunks along the wall with my bed on it has a different collection of equipment magically shrunk in it. So as long as I have access to this place I have most of everything I should ever need. This stuff came out of the chemical and reagents chest. It is the smaller one there on the end where I keep things for making potions, poisons, ritual materials, and various other chemical concoctions. I advise keeping open flames away from that one when it is open. The other ones have things like cooking ingredients, adventuring equipment, precious metals and other trade items, and a full wardrobe. About the only thing I never thought to put in here is a bathroom."

"Miss Louise, Mister Therum are you in here?

"Yes Siesta we are through the door in the back of the room over by the window."

"Oh my goodness what is all this stuff?" Siesta has yet to build up the same resistance to the strange familiar's antics that Louise has.

"That is a secret for tomorrow but we can come back to that later. For now let's go to the other room and take a look at what these jackasses want us to do."

_'We the students of the Tristain Academy of Magic have become bothered by the drop in quality that has recently befallen this once great school. There are a number of "students" here who do not meet the standards we believe this school to be founded upon. Therefore we have drawn up this document to officially insist that these plebeians be removed from the academy if they cannot meet the required standards. They must pass an act of culture, martial ability, courtly demeanor and a show of successful magic. The three accused Therum Magnus Louise de la Vallière and Siesta Sasaki must successfully complete three of the four given tasks each to be permitted to remain at our fine academy."_

At the bottom of the pace were thirty or so signatures most likely the same as those in the lynch mob earlier. Not really thinking about it Therum took out his personal fountain pen and signed it with a flourish, leaving his signature shining on the page for all to see.

Siesta would you run this up to the head master for me and tell him that if he allows it we would like to comply with these student's challenge. Giving an affirmative Siesta took the letter and headed off to see the old man.

"If you need me I will be in my room finishing up my little project."

"Can I watch you work if I don't ask too many questions?"

"Ok but be careful some of the liquids are a little unstable and if you were to knock them around we might be in a little trouble. Like the explode to death kind of trouble"

"Ok I'll just sit over at the desk and watch from there." Neither person notices Louise's cape brushing against one of the smaller vials on her way in moving the bottle just a little closer to an open flame than is advised.

Thirty minutes later Therum let out a satisfied sigh. "It's done all I need to do now is let it simmer on low heat for another hour and my surprise will be ready assuming I didn't miss something."

Louise came over to take a closer look at what her familiar had been working on for the last few hours. In the small glass container was a fairly unassuming light blue liquid. "What is it?"

"That Louise is the closest thing you will ever find to liquid magic. I am going to use it as a teaching assistant with you and Siesta tomorrow. I have some of it already made but it is more potent if it is fresh."

Apparently "fresh" is the codeword that the vial from earlier had been waiting for because it chose that time to explode, causing a chain reaction with the few remaining reagents on the table that Therum hadn't gotten around to putting away yet. Seeing what was happening Therum grabbed Louise and pulled her in to shield her with his body. Fortunately his trusty coat took the brunt of the explosion due to its unique design otherwise the pair may have come away with more than the small cuts they got.

"Are you ok Louise a strikingly feminine voice asked?"

"Yes I think I am ok what happened." A deeper tenor returned, "Wait what's wrong with my voice?" the startled mage puller her hands up to feel her throat only to stop in shock these were not her hands at all. Then she noticed who was on the floor next to her. "Holy Founder Therum, why am I looking at myself right now and why do I sound like you?"

The 'Louise' next to Louise picked herself up off the ground and made an effort to brush the glass off her uniform. "I am not a hundred percent certain but I believe that an accidental reaction occurred that somehow magically switched our minds into the other's body." The voice was definitely Louise's but the tone of speech and a hint of Therum's accent shone through.

"You mean to tell me that I am going to be stuck in your body and you are going to be in mine?"

"Take it easy Louise it's not that bad I know how to reverse this fairly easily. The only downside is that I can only do it with a potion that takes four days to brew. We will just have to make the best of this situation until then."

"You mean I am going to be stuck like this for most of the next week? It only took a few seconds to screw us up why can't you just use some of your super magic to switch us back?"

"I can't just switch us back with a spell for two reasons. First reason I don't know exactly what caused the explosion and what reagents reacted with which and which ones just exploded. Second the only body switching spell I know of has to have a potion that takes four days to brew correctly. If I try to speed things up I could very well kill us both, and look at that there are huge burn marks through parts of my coat."

"What does your stupid coat have to do with me being stuck as my own familiar? You do realize that we have your stupid trial of nobility to deal with in the timeframe that your dumb potion will be brewing."

"I am well aware of that but it shouldn't matter too terribly much we will still pass with flying colors. As to why the coat is important, it was magically reinforced to be a piece of light battle armor. If whatever hit us could have burned through it, we would have been melted into goo. That is most of the reason I am upset. Now take off your shirt I need to look you over."

"What do you mean saying things like that to you master you perverted dog?"

Therum face palmed his/her face. "First off that is my body so I assure you that I have seen it naked a great many times already, and second I need to check you for burns. We are going to be living as the other for the next several days so unless you expect to not change clothes or bathe we are going to have very few secrets from the other by the end of this. You might as well get used to the idea because I am not going to live in a dirty body and I will not let you be slothful in mine."

Siesta returned a moment later to find what looked like Louise gently caressing Therum on her bed without his shirt on_. 'This is just like one of the scenes from "The Master's Touch" that I read last night.'_ She was just about to leave when Louise turned and noticed the presence of another person in the room.

"Oh hello Siesta did things go well with the Headmaster?" she asked as if there were nothing unusual with the scene at large. "There was an explosion in the lab and this big oaf thought it would be a good idea to jump in front of the blast so now his master has to make sure his idiocy didn't do any lasting damage. As far as I can tell he just has a few bruises that should clear up in a few days." She punctuated her remark by slapping one noticeably discolored spot.

"Ouch you fool that hurt. You have a lot of nerve to slap me like that I should have you punished."

"You're fine you big baby. For an indestructible battle mage you sure do complain a lot over a little explosion. You didn't just have someone more than twice your size tackle you onto a hard floor. Look at this mess my uniform is ruined, this is coming out of your salary." At some point she had begun waiving her wand at the still shirtless man scolding him as if he were a small child.

"That explains a lot but can Mister Therum put his shirt back on now it is a little distracting having him sitting there randomly flexing."

Realizing what she had been doing Louise (in Therum's body) blushed slightly. "I'm not used to having all these muscles," she stated dumbly.

Tossing his black shirt at his master to shut her up, Therum quickly changed topics, "Did the Headmaster agree to the trial?"

"He thought it was a wonderful way to welcome the princess to the school. He even decided to throw a small dance to count as the courtly procedure trial."

"Excellent these idiots are playing right into my trap."

"What kind of trap Louise? I thought that this whole thing was Therum's idea."

"Eh, the trap where I prove that me and my familiar are the greatest ever!"

"I am a little worried about a couple of parts of this trial. All the serving staff is taught how to blend into a crowd and I am a pretty decent painter and flute player but I am very new at the whole magic thing. I've never dueled either who are they going to pit us against I don't want to fail and be sent away."

"Don't worry Siesta I am sure that Therum has a plan. Don't you familiar?"

Stuttering a bit while still messing with the shirt, "of course I do I did get us into this whole mess." Siesta was so relieved at hearing this that she missed the dirty look Louise gave Therum in her body.

"Get some sleep Siesta things are going to get busy tomorrow after our lessons, or so I am told."

After he walked Siesta out Therum made his way back to his room to take a survey of the damage. "This is why you magically protect all of your belongings Louise. If you will notice the only things that are destroyed in here are the beakers and the tables they were on. Ack and apparent my bed spread. Oh well no use crying about spilt milk I have a lab to put back together and a potion to brew so that we can get back to our proper bodies."

"Would you please bring me my coat from the other room Louise I want my personal wand from the pocket."

"Just because you are in my body does not mean that you can order me around. You are still my familiar and I am your master."

"I know that little master I was just asking you for a favor while I take survey of the damage. That is what friends do after all. Just remember while I am still your technically your familiar as long as you are in my body the runes on my hand will keep you from plotting harm to me. I on the other hand have nothing keeping me from destroying your reputation except out friendship and my naturally forgiving personality."

"You wouldn't dare do anything to my body would you?" asked Louise as she tossed the large coat at her own body.

Tapping a finger to Louise's chin, "I don't know there are some sensations that as a man I have never known. I am sure that I could get Guiche or even Kirche to help me explore a little."

Therum was unaware that his face could get that red whether from embarrassment or rage in uncertain. "You will do no such thing with my body! My first time will be special I will never let such a thing happen when I am not even there to experience it!" Definitely rage…

Removing his metallic wand from the interior pocket of his coat Therum began to clean and repair glassware as he taunted. "Ah, but see there lies the beauty of this situation you would never have to know about it. I know spells to erase ALL evidence of such times from happening except for the guilty parties memories. Hell I could turn Kirche back to an innocent girl if I felt like it."

Therum's body is still blushing most likely not from rage this time. "Still you won't do something like that will you? I wouldn't ever do such a thing while in your body."

Therum let out one of his token dry laughs which sounded strange coming from Louise's mouth. "I promise I will not defile your body in any way without your say so. As for my body if you get curious and find a willing FEMALE partner I don't care what you do with it I've probably done everything you could ever think of and then some. The only rule is no messing with dudes. I you do, when I get my body back I will kill him and then you, familiar runes be damned."

Louise sat on Therum's bed while she watched herself wordlessly turn scattered shards of glass turn back into their original shapes. "I really like having access to your magical reserves Louise but I think I can understand why you cause so many explosions. You really do seem to only be well suited for spells with no elemental affiliation. Near as I can tell your Void magic is a catch all category for strictly non-elemental spells I think you will do particularly well with spatial distortion and pure magic."

"What kind of spells are those? I have never heard of those kinds of magic."

"Here maybe a practical demonstration would be better. You know how you can levitate objects using a mix of wind and earth magic right." Louise nods. "Well using spatial distortion it is possible to move from one location to the next instantly. It's called teleporting. "

"That's impossible no spell is capable of doing that!" Louise's face took on Therum's predatory look number 3 and then disappeared with a small pop, then walked through the door on the opposite side of the room.

"Very little is impossible with magic, remember that Louise. As I was saying that was a lot easier with your body than it is in mine because I do not have an affinity for this kind of magic. It is theoretically possible for any mage to cast magic in any branch with the correct knowledge and instruction it is just a lot harder. It's a lot like trying to do a portrait with nothing but a pen. It can be done if you are a skilled artist but if you make any mistakes your efforts are wasted because there is so little room for error. That is most likely why you make explosions when trying to work with other branches."

"I've been meaning to ask, what is your affinity Therum I have seen you cast spells that could fit into all five elements?"

"I will make a deal with you Louise; if you can figure out my affinity by the end of your stay in my body I will teach you to teleport and give you one irrefutable order. If you can't figure it out by the time you are back in your own body you have to kiss Kirche on the mouth. What do you say?"

Louise grimaced at the thought of having to kiss her rival but accepted none the less. Having an absolute order over the cocky familiar was too tantalizing an offer to pass on.

"Good now go get ready for bed young man." Therum put on the best mothering act he could with a straight face. "The sooner I get this stupid potion brewed the sooner we can get back to our normal selves. Pajamas are in the chest closest to the bed just think what you want and the closest thing I have will filter to the top. If you want I will close my eyes while you change." The girly voice had switched from motherly to mirthful.

"I would rather close my own eyes," said Louise as she made her way to the chest he mentioned. _'I have never seen him wear anything but his black outfits and those clothes he wore on our trip into the city. I wonder if he has anything in blue silk.'_ Suddenly at the top of the chest was a complete pajama set consisting of boxers, pants and a long sleeve shirt in royal blue. '_Maybe he has some taste after all. I don't want to do this but I guess I have no choice. I have never even seen a nude male before. The only details I know are from the stories I hear from Kirche and those stupid books the maid, er Siesta, seems to like.'_

Louise was completely oblivious to the fact that Therum was watching her turmoil in the reflective surface of a small mirror he had transfigured out of a test tube. _'Things like this are how I live without an internet connection. I only wish I could be there when it comes time to use a men's restroom.'_

Eventually Louise managed to get changed into the silk pajamas and decided to try to get some sleep. The problem with this line of action is that while she is mentally exhausted the body she is in is not used to going to sleep so early so she was forced to lie awake for over an hour until she heard Therum come out of his room and open her closet. "What are you doing in there aren't you supposed to be working on that potion to fix us?"

"I already finished the prep work for the potion but it needs to simmer for four days now before it can be drunk. As to why I am in your closet, I need something other than this dirtied uniform to wear to bed. Nothing in my trunk will fit you so I chose to utilize the full wardrobe in your sizes. I'll be back in a bit I am going to shower the smell of chemical out of your hair."

Nearly another hour passed before Louise heard Therum return from the shower. "What took you so long to take a simple shower? You didn't do something shameful did you?"

"You are officially paranoid Louise it took me a while to find the women's showers first of all, then it took another long while to properly wash all this hair properly. The rest of the time was spent between some basic maintenance that you have either ignored or simply never heard of and being distracted by several of your classmate's bodies."

"You shameless dog, how dare you peep like that using my eyes! What if someone had caught you leering at them?" Then she realized the other part of what he said, "What maintenance do you speak of I am a model of hygiene."

"First off I am a master at looking at women without them knowing about it so nobody saw me. Second, let's just say that the only hair you have left on your body now is on your head. I was quite amused to find that the carpet does indeed match the drapes."

"What does that mean? What have you done to my body you pervert?"

"I have made it more comfortable and thoroughly cleaned it nothing else. I will see you in the morning." He then closed his door and locked it from the inside before his master could throttle him with his own hands.

***BREAK***

"Wake up Louise we have things to do today."

"I've been awake for an hour now this stupid body of yours won't let me sleep any longer."

"Oh I'm sorry but when a person has to wake up an hour before dawn every morning so that he can get himself washed and dressed before taking care of another, you get used to waking early. Put this on it will make our lives a little less difficult," he said tossing an amulet at the girl in his body. "That is a disguise amulet. It will make you look like the person wearing its partner which I am already wearing. You will still be in my body for a few days but everyone else will think you are yourself. Just be careful you should be able to do most of the spells they are teaching you now that you are casting with my affinities instead of yours."

"You mean that I won't have to deal with actually looking like I am in your body, but I will be able to use your magic?"

"What I am saying is that you will look and sound like your normal self, but this is only an illusion. If someone bumps into you or otherwise makes contact they will feel my body not yours. I would advise reporting yourself as being sick for the next several days."

"I think that that may be the best idea. We can use the time I would normally be in class to teach you and Siesta what it means to be a decent noble."

"Nope, Siesta still has to go to her normal classes and I don't want to start teaching you much magic until you are back to normal so we are going to be learning basic swordplay until she can join us later. I already know a good amount of how to behave regally I just choose not to, plus the princess loves us she would never let us fail. Now get dressed. We have a lot of work to do."

***BREAK***

Several hours later if anyone would have walked by they would have seen a scene that looked a lot like Louise beating the tar out of her familiar with a wooden sword. Therum insisted that they not wear the amulets due to the disorientation they tend to cause.

"Come on you girly man I know you can move faster than that. Hell I'm beat and I am still dancing circles around you."

"What are you talking about you have not given me any instruction all you did was bring me out here and started swinging a wooden sword at me. How am I supposed to do anything against that?"

"I've only mastered two types of swordplay, fencing and broadswords. Since Derflinger is going to be your primary sword I figured that broadswords with a splash of kendo would be the best thing to teach you. I learned through the hands on method and so will you. Nothing motivates a student like the threat of pain. Besides I taught you how to properly hold the sword and you have my muscle, that's more than I had at first."

"This is stupid I am never going to learn anything like this." Her statement was well punctuated by another blow to the stomach.

"You say that but you are lasting much longer than you did at the beginning of the session. The first few rounds were over before I could even get your soft little body sweating hard. That reminds me, I am starting you on an exercise regiment starting today, you are definitely not fat but you aren't fit either."

"What are you talking about I am a model of good health!"

"Health and fitness are related but they are not the same thing. We have been practicing all day only taking small breaks, do you feel tired?

"Not really, but it's hard to tell with so many bruises forming."

"That is because I am both healthy and physically fit. Your body is only standing right now because I am feeding it a trickle of magic to overcome exhaustion. Expect to feel very sore when you get your body back. If we hurry we might be able to catch dinner, but before we go come over here and let me patch you up a little."

All the pain Louise had been feeling faded away as Therum waved his wand over her. "That was amazing! Will I be able to do that too when I get my body back?"

"Not without a lot of control training. Like I said earlier, any mage should be able to cast any type of spell regardless of what they are naturally suited for it is just a matter of practice. You will never be able to have the proficiency with such magic as a high class water mage but you should be able to heal bruises like I just did. Then again that is about the extent of my own healing abilities. Alexander focused mainly on offensive magic so that is what I know the most about."

***BREAK***

The pair decided to have lunch in the kitchens with Siesta and the staff to minimize their interaction with the rest of the castle for the next few days. Louise insisted on being able to wear the disguise amulets so that she could talk to the people they passed in the hallways without having to try and sound like Therum. More importantly it kept her familiar from saying stupid things with her mouth that would make life even harder for her.

"Siesta after we finish here, would you be willing to come prepare for the trial with us for a few hours? I want to be sure that you will not have any trouble with the events."

"That would be most wonderful Therum."

"I have a few ideas that I would like to bounce off you lovely ladies that should definitely give us an advantage in a couple of the trial areas."

"What kind of advantage?" they both asked.

"The kind of advantage that will make the dueling phase of the contest nothing but a big joke. If you want to know more you will have to wait until we are in a more private location. It's not that I don't trust the staff but one can never be too careful." Enter predatory smirk variant three.

The promise of a secret advantage was all the two girls needed to finish their meals in a hurry and race to the tower housing Louise's room. Therum was already in the room sifting through what looked like a jewelry box when they arrived. "How did you beat us back here? There is only one way to get to this tower from the kitchens and you were doing the dishes when we left."

"Now Louise, a magician never reveals all of his secrets."  
"AHHH, you are such a bothersome familiar! Why couldn't I have gotten something obedient like a gryphon or even a cat?"

"Tirade aside, I want to give you two ladies something that should help see you through anything a simple duel will throw at you. These rings are enchanted to take a set amount of physical or magical damage before they will need to be recharged by an enchanter. They are extremely valuable so please take care of them." He handed each girl a simple gold ring.

"Oh Therum how bold of you, inviting two young beauties to your room to offer them rings. I never knew you thought of me in that way." Siesta blushed furiously at Louise's implications.

The poor familiar was forced to face palm himself. "You have been hanging around me far too much little lady. I assure you both that I am not asking for your hands in marriage at this time. If you would prefer, you can always go into the duel without the ring."

"No," the girls shouted in unison.

"I thought as much, now on to the other matters of contest. I can help you with dueling and magic but you two are on your own for the arts and courtly manner parts. I know enough to skirt by but I am not going to try ant teach what I know incase it is completely wrong. "

"As a noble I have already been taught everything I need to know about those topics so I don't care if you skip them. I will help Siesta with whatever she doesn't already know from working here for the last few years."

"Thank you Louise that is very kind of you even though it is my fault that you two have to go through with this whole trial."

"Nonsense, you are my friend and I would shame my family if I backed down from this. The whole thing is Therum's idea anyway; if anyone should apologize it's him."

"Enough idle chatter girls! I have three nights to teach you two enough magic and combat to deal with whatever these louts throw at you. I know a handful of very simple but effective spells in all five elements I want to teach you and you two have to work hard to learn as many of them as you can."

Siesta gave Louise a look that plainly said 'maybe getting kicked out isn't such a bad option.'

***BREAK***

At the end of the time the trio had for preparation both girls had at least gotten a basic grasp on all the spells Therum had for them to learn. Louise even got to learn her first couple of void like spells that she should be able to cast with her own body. The princess was due to arrive within the hour so training was skipped that afternoon so that the participants could get ready for the welcoming dance that would double as their exhibition.

"Louise come in here quickly!"

"What are you yelling at Therum I am trying to get this body of yours presentable for the dance?"

"Don't bother the potion is ready. You will be able to participate as yourself. I look better a little scruffy anyway."

"You mean it! I don't have to deal with this bulky smelly excuse for a body anymore?"

"Yes that is exactly what I am saying you get your tiny frail exterior back and I can finally stop having to use a step stool to reach my books." Realizing something, "I am not that smelly."

"Oh yes you are. I have had to have your bowel movements for the last several days. I am so glad I do not have to share a restroom with you."

Smiling, "Think of it as a learning experience, you will appreciate your own physique more now that you have literally walked a few miles in a man's shoes. I am just glad that I didn't have to deal with you during your monthly cycle. There are some secretes that men should never experience."

"Stop saying such embarrassing things and tell me what I have to do to get back to normal!"

"Alright little master I will stop teasing you for now. All you have to do is drink half the potion and kiss the person who drinks the other half." He said with an intentional dismissive shoulder shrug.

"That's not so bad. Wait did you say KISS, as in on the mouth?"

"Yes, and there has to be saliva exchange so a little tongue is the most effective way to do things."

"If it will get me back to normal I guess there is no choice," Louise said quietly. "You better not think anything of this I am only kissing you to get myself back to my proper body."

"Technically you are kissing yourself but I get the point." Not waiting for another comeback Therum handed one of the vials to Louise and drank his own. As soon as she finished the smoking liquid he pulled his own face into a passionate kiss that lasted about ten seconds.

"Did it work?"

"Well seeing as I am back to looking down on you I would probably hazard a guess that It worked. Now if you will excuse me I have something I need to do." Sprinting to the hallway he did a series of back flips down the hall and back to his semi shared living quarters. "Damn it feels good to be able to do that again."

"If you are done fooling around now, we still have to finish getting ready."

"If you haven't noticed I already have you washed and your makeup has been applied. All you need to do is pick a dress and do your hair. I'll be out in twenty."

"Wait, how do you know how to apply makeup to a girl?"

"I spent a few a few years as a thespian. You tend to pick these things up."

True to his word Therum reemerged form his room twenty minutes later. He was wearing a simple but elegant black three piece Armani suit complete with his magically repaired overcoat. Louise had also chosen to go simple wearing an ankle length blue gown with her hair in a single elegant braid.

Giving the girl a once over Therum let out a low whistle. "We are going to make the rest of these people look so bad it isn't funny." This elicited a small giggle and a blush from the girl.

"I might but you still look like a foreigner in that outfit. We need to get you some clothes that actually blend into a crowd."

"That's hurtful Louise I even wore my sword so that I would look like nobility. I could have worn my boots and spurs if I wanted to really stand out."

:Sigh: "Let's just go get Siesta and make our way to the dance."

***BREAK***

"My, don't you look lovely my dear, is that a new dress?" The poor girl turned redder than the gown she was wearing.

"I made it myself when I learned that I would be going to my first ball I couldn't afford a really nice dress."

"Are you kidding? I think your dress has better stitch work than mine does. Just look at how well the embroidery flows with the rest of it."

"It's really nothing. My mother taught me to sew before I moved to the academy. I sometimes do alterations and repairs for some of the students here to make a little extra money. Oddly enough Sir Guiche has always been my best customer."

"Miss Sasaki would you do Miss Vallière and myself the honor of gracing us with your presence for this evening's festivities?" He bowed slightly and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Fighting back a swoon she accepted and the three made their way to the academy's small ballroom.

The dance was unsurprisingly dull for the first hour before the princess arrived. Both Louise and Siesta had accepted dance offers from a couple of men because they knew their performance was being judged by someone. Therum even got dragged into a dance with each girl, surprising both with his remarkably refined dancing ability. Just as he was finishing his waltz with Louise a set of trumpets announced the arrival of Her Majesty Henrietta de Tristain crown princess of the realm. Upon her entrance along with a cleverly disguised Agnes in a dress the whole audience took a knee except for one. The lone rebel actually had the gall to walk directly up to the princess and kiss her had in front of everyone. Agnes was half way to unsheathing her sword when she recognized the impudent young man in the strange suit.

"Greetings your highness and welcome to our little soirée. It makes my heart soar that you have graced us with your radiant beauty this evening. If I might be so bold might I ask you for the first dance?"

"Sir Magnus you flatter me too much. I will gladly accept your offer to dance. I hope you have been taking good care of my dear friend Louise." Therum lead Henrietta out into the middle of the dance floor where the crowd had opened up a spot for the pair.

"I can happily announce we have gotten to know each other better than most will ever know another person." Noticing that his partner had missed a step he realized what he had just said. "I did not mean to imply that we have entered a physical relationship, merely that we are very close." Therum took a little pride in his self. It isn't every man who can make a princess turn red. "I must say Henrietta you dance divinely"

"It is I that must commend you on your skills I am simply following your lead. I can almost understand why you accepted such a ridiculous challenge of character tonight. It takes a truly noble individual to risk their own status for that of another. What were you thinking when the issue was brought against you?"

"It was not brought against me I was the challenger. I am not sure if you have heard but the black haired girl over there in red was a common maid the last time we met. Since then I pulled a few strings to get her admitted into this academy and some of the students did not like that. I taunted them into this ordeal to prove that nobility is more than a birth right."

"You truly are an interesting familiar for my Louise. I assure you that you have all passed the first trial with flying colors and I hope you do as well the rest of the night."

"Thank you for your favor your majesty. I have greatly enjoyed our dance together but I must go have a talk with the band for a moment." Leaving a small kiss on her cheek he disappeared into the crowd heading over to the orchestra.

As she watched the mad disappear she raised a gloved hand to her cheek, "an interesting familiar indeed."

Suddenly all the music stopped and the audience turned to see a man in excited conversation with the band. They talked for a minute or so until the director and the man shook hands and a stack of papers was passed around to the players. The stranger shouldered a violin and turned to address everyone else.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen I am Therum Venenatus Magnus familiar to Louise Francois le Blanch de la Vallière. As many of you know this dance was thrown as a precursor to a trial three of us are to face tonight in order to stay at this fine academy. I am not sure what the results are going to be but if I do have to leave tomorrow I wish to have fun tonight. That said I am now going to help lead the band in some more lively musical choices. There is no set dance to this music so please have fun with it."

Finishing his little speech the familiar started playing a lively piece that would not have been too far out of place in the American old west. It took the orchestra am moment to get a feel for the new kind of music but they shortly joined in to create a much livelier atmosphere. Louise was half way to throttling her servant before she got swept up into the dance by a boy she had seen around the school but didn't know his name.

Fifteen minutes into his performance Therum noticed a crime happening to a pretty young lady that he simply couldn't allow. Leaving the band to fend for themselves in what was rapidly becoming an improve performance he made his way over to the lady in question. "Lady Agnes may I have this dance with you?"

Seemingly shaken out of a deep thought the turned to decline the latest offer, but felt herself being dragged onto the dance floor. "I really don't dance sir," she tried weakly.

"I am sorry but I cannot allow a woman as lovely as you to stand on the sidelines while everyone else has a good time." Agnes finally recognized the person she was now dancing with.

"I am not here to dance Mister Magnus. My sole purpose here tonight is to make sure that the princess is safe."

"You can do a much better job of protecting her if you are closer can't you? Therefore not only are you now doing your job better now, but you look a lot less conspicuous too."

She was about to object when her partner seamlessly switched with another couple leaving her dancing with another smiling noble boy.

"Oh Mister Therum it's you! I love this new music you introduced where did you learn it?"

"It is the equivalent of old peasant music where I come from Siesta; just don't tell any of the other nobility here they might be insulted that they actually had fun dancing like a normal person." They danced for a few minutes longer before Therum saw a very specific braid swaying by and he preformed another switch. "Enjoying the Dance Louise?"

"Oh yes it has been great fun. I was going to be mad at you when you started talking with the musicians but now I can't be angry at you for it if I try."

"I am glad to hear you are having fun. Now if you will excuse, me I need to get the ball rolling on the rest of the trial before it gets too late." One final switch left Therum back in the arms of the princess.

She was laughing like she probably hadn't in years. "Oh you truly are a man of many surprises Mister Magnus I truly look forward to what you will do next."

"I hate to ruin your evening Henrietta but it is about time to start the rest of the trials before it gets too late. We do still have the familiar exhibition tomorrow."

"Very well sir, but only on one condition."

"Anything for you milady."

"One slower dance with me, I need to regain my composure." Therum signaled the band at the end of the song and they switched back to a slow waltz. At the end of the final dance Henrietta curtsied to her partner and went to the stage to address the audience.

"Welcome everyone this evening to what has already proven to be a fantastic evening. As was stated earlier this ball has another purpose, to test the nobility of three of the attendees here tonight. I ask at this time that these three step forward to begin the tests. Therum Louise and Siesta stepped out in front of the rest of the audience who were slowly making their way to the back of the hall. "You three have been challenged by your peers to perform four acts of nobility with me as your judge. I declare that you all have already passed the trial of courtly conduct and shall now move on to the test of culture. I have heard that all three of you possess some musical talent so your test of culture will be to play one final waltz so that the musicians who played so finely may also enjoy a dance this evening.

"I didn't know that either of you played an instrument. "

"You aren't the only one full of surprises familiar. I learned to play the harpsichord at a very young age and Siesta has shown me that she is a lovely flautist."

"In that case let's not disappoint our audience. I'll lead in on the fiddle and you two jump in at any time."

The mixture of the three instruments was a bit odd and a little hard to hear until someone cast an amplification spell on the stage so that the music could be heard by all. In the end the dance went smoothly and another task was written off as another success.

"Marvelously done all three of you next shall be the test of martial prowess to be decided by a duel. Each contestant will face off against one of their peers from their school year."

What about the familiar?" someone shouted. "He isn't a student and he is supposed to be an expert swords man"

"Sir Magnus will face off against my Knight Captain Agnes as his opponent. That should keep the contest fair for all. First to go will be Siesta Sasaki do we have a challenger?" A girl raised her hand just barely visible over the crowd. When she finally made it to the front Therum recognized her as the poor first year girl Guiche had been two timing.

"I will face off against the commoner Your Majesty." Her face did not match the bravery in her voice.

"Excellent," Henrietta clapped her hands together. "The rules are simple, no deadly attacks and the first one to either be knocked out or admit defeat loses. Begin!"

At the princesses demand the two girls began circling each other. Katie opened first with a strong gust of wind that barely missed Siesta and sent the music sheets flying all over the room. Siesta countered with a jet of icy water that hit her opponent directly in the face. Not something that wins a duel but it sure is funny to watch. Katie cast a drying spell on herself and then sent a levitation spell at Siesta that took her about ten feet in the air and then dropped her. The shield ring wasn't designed to stop non attack spells but it did absorb the force of Siesta's fall much to the surprise of Katie. After regaining her footing the former maid decided to use one of the spell she learned from Therum that week. "DORMIO," she cast. The poor girl didn't know what hit her before she was quietly slumped on the floor sleeping soundly.

"We have a winner showing both the ability to act under pressure and an acceptable array of spells. I say that this girl has passed all four tests with flying colors and will remain a student at this school." The princess shook Siesta's hand and congratulated her once again. "Next up will be Louise de la Vallière who will be her opponent?" There was literally a thunder of offers to contest Louise before Guiche stumbled to the front of the crowd.

"Seeing as I have already faced off against her familiar, it would make the most sense that I be allowed to spar with Louise as her opponent."

"It is decided then Louise de la Vallière will face off against Guiche de Gramont. The rules are the same no lethal force and the first to give up is the looser. Begin!"

"Therum didn't beat you bad enough the first time you had to face me too Guiche?"

"The difference this time is that you don't have a big fancy sword to fight off my Valkyrie with," the haughty boy said as he summoned his trademark golem.

"That is where you are wrong Guiche I do have a sword and Therum has been teaching me how to use it recently."

"If you have such a sword where is it Zero there is no way that you could be hiding it in that dress."

"It is in my room right now I didn't need to bring it with me to the dance."

"Whole lot of good it is going to do you there Louise my Valkyrie will beat you senseless before your familiar can retrieve it for you."

"He won't need to I have been practicing a very handy spell." Therum almost had to wipe a tear from his eye when she used his predatory smirk number three. She then chanted the one spatial distortion spell he had managed to teach her. "Ad me mea potens socium."

There was a bright flash when she finished casting. In her previously empty hand was a rather large sword. She untied the bottom ruffle on her dress and unsheathed the blade. "Next time you call partner try to be a little gentler about it would you? I am a very old artifact of war not some common rock."

"We can talk about this later Derflinger right now I need you to help me beat this golem."

"Got it partner let him have it I have a couple of tricks up my scabbard for magical constructs."

Louise rushed at the Valkyrie that seemed to move a lot slower than Therum had in her body during their sparing sessions. Nobody would mistake the girl's wild swings for masterful strokes but they were more than a match for the poor golem. Finally shocked out of his stupor Guiche summoned three more Valkyries to send after Louise. She dispatched the first two without too much difficulty but the third had managed to sneak behind her and land a blow with the shaft of its spear. The force was enough to knock her off her feet even with the protection of her ring. The Valkyrie was about to finish its job when the princess called for a halt of action.

"There will be no bloodshed tonight. Louise has demonstrated a basic proficiency in combat skill seeing as she dispatched three opponents before being taken down. She may have been able to recover from her fall but I am unwilling to risk that. Coupled with the unknown spell she cast to summoned her sword from thin air I announce Louise as having passed all her trials. The last match will be Sir Therum and Lady Agnes."

"Your Majesty, I did not bring my sword tonight all I have with me is a dagger and a set of pistols it will not be a fair fight."

"If it would please your majesty I have several spare swords I would happily lend one to Agnes for our match. What type of sword do you prefer to fight with milady?"

"I can fight with any blade but I prefer long hand and a half or two handed blades."

Therum unbelted the sword he had been wearing throughout the evening and handed it to Agnes. "Will this one work for your taste?"

"This is your sword I cannot take an unfair advantage from your using an unfamiliar blade."

"That is just the one that I wore on my belt tonight because it is plain and unimposing." He pulled the shrunken Aurora from his pocket and enlarged it the same way he did for the duel with Guiche. "This is my favorite sword. It is more or less the same as the one in your hand only it has a few more enchantments. None of which should affect the outcome of our match"

Feeling a little more at ease Agnes ties the sword around her waist and unsheathed it to take a few practice swings. "This sword is nearly four feet in length but is remarkably light and agile. I don't recognize the sheen of the metal what is it made of?"

"It is made of a metal called Titanium and it's spelled to never break or go dull. If you give me a good match you can keep it. I'll even get it engraved for you too."

"Are you two done talking about your swords yet? We really should get on with the match." It was hard to tell who was more shocked by the princesses playful jibe the combatants or the audience. "As this is a match between two expert combatants, this will be decided by first blood drawn from the torso. Begin!"

If the other two matches had been exciting this one put them both to shame when combined. Therum was definitely the stronger of the two but what she lacks in strength, Agnes makes up for in speed and skill. To the two combatants nobody else in the room existed. Neither has faced an opponent of the other's skill in a very long time. The victor quickly became unimportant all that mattered right then was the fight. Of the hundred or so people watching the fight only a small handful could even follow what was happening as the duel stretched past the twenty minute mark. Louise came to realize just how easy her familiar had gone on her while training even if he had been in her body. Guiche on the other hand now truly understood how close to death he came when he challenged this man to a fight. As the contest was closing in on thirty minutes both combatants made a mad lunge at each other and wound up behind the other. It looked like they were going to start up again when Therum raised his hands and admitted defeat pointing to a small tear in his suit's vest. Touching the tear he held up a faintly red finger tip.

"She got me fair and square. I went in for an attack and missed by a hair."

"No," everyone turned to look at Agnes this time noticing that she was fiddling with one of the straps on her dress that had been cut clean through. "You got me a little on the collar bone, which counts as torso too."

"We have a tie then. I think that this man has more than proved his martial abilities, unless someone else would like to test him." There was a surprising lack of volunteers coming forward. "That makes three trials down Sir Therum you don't happen to have any hidden magical talents that you would like to show tonight do you?"

"Sadly Your Majesty I do not have any other talents to show off tonight, at least not in polite company." 'Magnus two blushing princess zero.'

"That is a shame but seeing as you only needed to pass three trials, you will be allowed to remain at the academy with the others. Congratulations on your success everyone, I declare this trial of nobility over goodnight to you all." She leaned in to whisper so that only Therum could hear her, "If I weren't engaged already I might have taken you up on those other talents." 'Magnus two princess one.

Still a little thrown off and what Henrietta had implied, he failed to notice Agnes approaching him. "Here is your sword back it is most definitely a fine blade."

"It's not my sword, I told you it's yours if you gave me a good match and I can't remember a better one in recent history."

"A pen is one thing but an enchanted sword made of an unknown metal is too great a gift to accept. I looked at the blade there isn't a single chip anywhere on it."

"I have plenty of swords Agnes, you earned that one. You will insult my honor if you do not take it. Besides I already had it engraved."

"Nonsense I just looked at it not two minutes ago." Sure enough when she unsheathed it again the side of the blade now read '_Agnes, a girl worth fighting with.'_ "How did you do that? Do you have a mage working with you just to get on my nerves?"

"Dear lady you wound me I would never do such a terrible thing to such a fine beauty."

"I'll make you think wounded." She took the blade in hand and appeared to have every intention of bludgeoning the man with it. Seeing this Therum did the smartest thing he had done all night and ran for his life.

"Louise it would appear as if your familiar has done something to earn the ire of my Captain would you like to bet on what he did this time?"

"I can honestly say your majesty that with him I can't even begin to guess. I can guarantee, however, that he deserves whatever she does to him." The princess let out a very non-regal laugh.

"I think that he is a fine man and any lady would be lucky to have him. I know it is late but would you care to have tea with me in your room in about twenty minutes? That should give me enough time to escape my retainers and meet up with you."

"Nothing would make me happier princess I will see you shortly." A very happy Louise skipped off to her room completely careless of what foul torture was becoming her familiar.

**A/N There you have it folks, another chapter done with. I know that I said that this would cover the familiar exhibition but it was already getting lengthy so I decided to cut it a little short. The next chapter should be up within a week or so and it will for sure cover the staff of destruction and the exhibition. As usual if you love it or hate it let me know. I'll even take flames to heat my morning tea with.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: I'm going to kill him**

"Good morning Louise, good morning Henrietta, good morning Siesta I trust you three slept well?" The presence of several empty wine bottles and a trio of apparently hung-over teenage girls was amusing enough to overcome the irritation of finding them in his bed instead of Louise's. _'I really need to start locking the damn door when I leave.'_

"Ugh what time is it?"

"It is about an hour after dawn. I would have woken you on time but I decided to watch the sunrise this morning from the top of the tower. It was a lovely sight."

"OH my head, Louise would you please keep your voice down."

"I am sorry to interrupt your sleep princess but this is the time I am to wake Louise up every morning. There is also the matter of finding three young girls in my bed. I'm not complaining but it's not what I was expecting to find this morning. As far as I know it is not my birthday and I didn't party that hard last night."

Finally waking up enough to think Siesta jumped into the conversation. "I don't remember you coming in last night at all while we were celebrating where did you sleep Therum?"

"Who is to say that I slept at all?" he gave the shy girl a wink. "By the way Agnes is looking for you Henrietta. Apparently ditching your guards and retainers for a private after party is the kind of thing that makes her worry. If I had to guess I would bet that she will be here," looks at his watch, "right about…now." As if planned the now armored musketeer burst into Louise's room.

"Princess Henrietta are you in here!"

"Yes Agnes I am in the next room. Give me a moment to make myself presentable and I will be right out." Turning to address the only man in the room, "would you be a gentleman and keep her company out there?"

"Of course milady I will see the three of you when you are properly presentable."

"What were you doing in there with the princess? I leave your company for less than an hour and I find you trying to advance on the princess, have you no shame?"

"I object to the crimes I am accused of. I was merely doing my job as a familiar to wake my little master in the morning. The fact that she was in my bed with two other ladies in varying stated of undress cannot be blamed on me. It's not my fault you found my company so pleasing last night that you didn't make sure the princess was in her room. You should try to be very quiet I think they might be slightly hung-over!" The cheeky familiar shouted back behind him.

"I am very sorry. I was just a bit worried about the safety of my charge that has not been seen since she left the party last night. I thought one of her other retainers had the night shift covered. The exhibition is to start in just a few hours and I was afraid that I might not find her in time to adequately prepare. Or worse that she had been captured in the night."

"I thank you for your concern Agnes. As you can see I am perfectly fine if a little worse for wear than one of my stature should be." The princess emerged from within Therum's room followed by an equally rumpled looking Louise and Siesta, all wearing the outfits they had been wearing the night before.

_'Damn I wish I had a camera on me right now. A triple walk of shame with this lot would be blackmail gold._' Removing several small glass bottles from his coat pocket, the man handed each girl one. "Drink those it should help with the headache and obvious lack of sleep."

The four women looked at the bottles they had been given and then shared a look with each other. Deciding that they probably couldn't wind up any worse they all shrugged and took the dose. What he conveniently left out about the potion was that, while very effective, they tasted distinctly like a bolt of lightning. A fact that the poor ladies found out the hard way when they were literally knocked off their feet by the concoction, needless to say everyone was awake at that point.

"I might have forgotten to mention that the stuff has a little bit of a kick to it."

"The wine we drank last night had a little bit of a kick. I have seen mules that don't kick that hard."

"I agree with Louise what was in those vials you gave us? I no longer have a headache and I feel more alert than I ever have, but I like to know what is in my body."

"That princess is a trade secret. Normally that brew is given to battle mages on the brink of exhaustion but I find it also doubles as a good hangover remedy."

"What would you need with a tonic for battle mages? I know you are an excellent fighter with a few apparently hidden talents but I have yet to whiteness magic being one of them."

Louise and Siesta had to fight back a snicker. Agnes just gave him an appraising look out of the corner of her eye. "Like I said Henrietta they are good for hangovers. Now if you will excuse me I need to get cleaned up before being paraded in front of another judgmental crowd."

When the door closed behind him the four girls returned to more important topics. "As much fun as I had with you last night Louise I really must take my leave to prepare for the exhibition it would not do for me to be late. It was lovely getting to know you Siesta I see good things in the future for your family."

"You flatter me too much Your Majesty I don't deserve such praise."

"Please I insist that you both call me Henrietta in private we had much too grand a time last night to be so formal with each other. When the public is not around I just want to be a normal girl sometimes. The same goes for you Agnes, I know that you work for me but I value you as a friend and advisor as well. I want you to be able to relax when we are in such settings."

"Thank you princess but while I am on duty as your guard I would prefer to maintain a professional demeanor at all times."

"I could order you to be less formal but that would defeat the purpose. So instead I will ask you to tell me what transpired after you chased Sir Familiar out of the ball room."

The knight looked a bit flustered at the Princesses' innocent sounding question. "There is nothing of great importance to report milady. I chased the infuriating man around the grounds for a while until he decided to take refuge in a tree. There was a brief exchange of words from there during which I agreed to accept the sword he gave me. After which he leapt down from the tree next to me and we spent the remainder of the night talking about sword play and... technique."

"That sounds like a wonderful date Agnes I am very happy for you."

The knight's face turned several shades redder. "Last night was a onetime thing it was most definitely not the start of a courtship."

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

"What does that even mean?"

Louise put a finger to her chin looking a bit confused. "I am not really all that sure; Therum says it a lot when I argue with him over things like romance or my lack thereof. I figured that it would fit this situation."

"I hate to cut this little attack on my personal life short but we really must get going Princess."

"I suppose you are right Agnes let's get going." With one last series of hugging Louise was left alone in her room to get ready for the upcoming exhibition."

***BREAK***

"You still haven't told me what you are going to do to win the exhibition."

"It's a secret, you are going to have to wait and find out like everybody else. You can be assured that it will be a magical performance though. Speaking of magic do you remember our little wager regarding my affinity?

"I remember the terms." The pinkette mage replied curtly.

"Were you ever able to guess it? You did get to cast a fair number of spells while in control of my body."

"No I could not discern any particular favor of one type of magic over the other. My best guess is that you either have no specific affinity or you have one for all branches of magic, both of which sound absurd."

The tall familiar patted the mageling on the head. "You would be closer to right with the second one. My affiliation is in the manipulation of energy. That is how I am able to joint cast with you so easily. I can turn most forms of outside energy into mana, or as your mages call it 'willpower.' Some forms of energy are easier to work with than others because not all energy has the same quality. As such if I have to do a conversion before I can cast with most energy types. I prefer to work with raw magic or electricity such as lightning because they require the least amount of manipulation."

"You can use bolts of lightning to cast magic?"

"It is one of my flashier talents I admit but true none the less. If I had an actual elemental affinity it would be lightning. That being said I try to avoid doing something like that is I can help it because there is a lot of power in lightning. If I don't have a quick way to discharge all that power I could kill myself. Aside from that I can cast most magic with about the same skill level, but we can talk about this later for now we have other things to do."

"Are you really going to make me kiss Kirche? She asked in a pout.

"You bet your adorable little butt I am. A wager is a wager and as a proper noble lady I know you would never purposefully void a debt to be paid."

"I hate you."

"That's ok love, I hate myself too."

***BREAK***

"Good morning and welcome to the annual Springtime Familiar Summoning Exhibition. I have seen some marvelous new familiars today and I look forward to seeing the routines that each new partnership has come up with. We will be beginning shortly so please be prepared when your name is called. "

"Louise there you are! Where have you been hiding all week I couldn't find you anywhere?"

"I was under the weather and had to prepare for the trials that took place last night Kirche."

"I know I was there. I saw how wonderfully my darling fought." The busty teen attached herself onto the man in question's arm. "Why did you take a loss on the fourth trial though? If you had shown that you are able to do magic the princess could have made you a noble knight. Then there would be nothing keeping us apart."

"I am sorry Kirche but that is not going to happen. You aren't my type. I prefer my women to be a bit less publically bold."

"You are a coy one aren't you? I see what you are trying to do here and your attempt at playing hard to get only makes me love you more!"

"Tabitha, please try and convince her that I am not going to ever enter a romantic relationship with her."

"There's no point. Given past statistics you would be better off giving her what she wants. She moves on quicker that way."

"Gee that's helpful. I have to whore myself out to get some peace."

"You asked. I must go now. Good luck today." The quiet girl closed her book and made her way over to her impressive dragon familiar.

"Therum, I don't care how bothersome Kirche is you are forbidden from romancing her even if it is to get her to leave you alone. Zerbst, unhand my familiar this instant!"

"I don't want to, this is much more fun." She was quite busy trying to shove the man's hand down her blouse.

"I have to agree with Louise, you are invading my personal space and I would like you to take a step or two back. If you don't comply, I will have to innate more effective measures."

"I like it when they're rough. Give me your worst lover."

"You asked for it." Using his free hand he placed two fingers on the base of her neck and applied a charge. The poor surprised girl shuddered briefly before slumping to the ground, effectively freeing his other arm without having to use more force.

"What did you do to her? I barely saw you move."

In answer to her question he spread his fingers apart in a peace sign to reveal an arc of electricity popping between them. "I sent a small high voltage current of electricity through her body that effectively put her to sleep. I toyed with doing the same thing to you in the mornings if you don't start getting up the first time I wake you."

"You wouldn't dare do such a thing to your master! Would you?"

"Maybe I would and maybe I wouldn't, do you really want to test me?"

Suddenly becoming interested in her shoes, "We should go the exhibition is starting."

"As you wish little master. Should I bring your friend along or would you rather me leave her here?"

"You may as well bring her along it would be improper to leave an unconscious girl alone."

"You want to kiss her now while she is asleep? It might be the easiest way to get out of your debt." Louise nearly tripped over her own feet.

"That would be very improper I do not want to take advantage of an unconscious person even if it is Kirche."

"Fine by me, it will be a lot more entertaining for me if you are both awake. I can't wait to see how you proposition her. Maybe you plan to spring it on her and just steal a kiss, or possibly try to make it look like an accident. Yes this is definitely not the time to do this when nobody is around and Kirche won't think you like girls now." Louise was doing her best to blend her face with her hair. "Unless you do actually like girls in which case I am fine with that."

"Ahhh, why are you so annoying? Fine I will go ahead and get this out of the way." Kneeling down to where she was on level with her red haired rival Louise steadied her nerves and went in. Unfortunately for her she didn't catch the hand movement of her familiar. Just as Louise's lips touched the darker skinned girls, Kirche's eyes shot open and connected with Louise's. If she weren't already propped against a wall Kirche would have definitely fallen down again. Instead she did the only thing a proper flirt can do in this kind of situation, she grabbed the other girl's head and deepened the kiss until Louise overcame the shock and pulled away.

Contrary to popular belief Kirche is not a dumb girl. Her loud and occasionally flirty attitude led people to believe that she didn't notice the things around her when she was nearly as observant as her friend Tabitha. That is how she was able to keep from panicking when she woke up to her rival kissing her on the lips. Her innate ability to sense when Louise was the butt of a joke didn't hurt either. After the other girl pulled away from her retaliatory kiss she was able to see the current object of her desired rolling on the ground laughing. This was definitely not Louise's idea gave her a good Idea of who had been the cause if Louise's raised ire for the last several days. This was far too much fun for the redhead to simply let it go.

"I see now why you are resisting my advances Therum. Louise has told you that I am to be her conquest not yours. That's ok there is enough of me for the both of you. I will even let Louise go first if that is what you want."

"Th…That is not what is happening."

"Oh?" Kirche pit a finger to her chin. "How else am I to see this situation? Your familiar renders me unconscious then positions me against a wall. Then when I regain consciousness I find you hovering over me trying to steal my virtue."

Somewhere else in the castle, an ancient sword shouts "as if" for reasons unknown to the blade at that time.

"I lost a bet to him and had to kiss you as a result I figured now would be as good a time as any so that we wouldn't have to have an awkward conversation. I didn't know that you were going to wake up so soon."

"Is this true Therum is this whole situation your fault?" He only just heard the question due to the heavy breathing and residual chuckles he was still suffering from.

"Yes, most of this situation is indeed my fault she did lose a bet to me and I was the one that suggested she just get it over with now. If I had known that you were going to kiss her back like that I would have not advised this course of action. I would have brought more people first."

"You're unbelievable," the two girls shouted in unison, albeit for completely different reasons.

"Kirche von Zerbst, please prepare your familiar for your routine."

"Poo, just when things were getting interesting. Goodbye for now my darlings!"

"You do realize that if you don't beat her today I am going to kill you right?" Louise said through a fake smile

"I figured as much. You would have to catch me though."

"Shut up! Let's just go watch the rest of the performances until it is our turn"

Overall the performances were nothing too terribly awe inspiring. Once you have gotten over the magical animals gimmick. The birds flew, ponies pranced, and the more mundane animals did tricks that aren't entirely uncommon in any animal show. There were back flipping cats, dancing dogs, swimming frogs and a posing Guiche. Even that creepy eyeball thing was there just being its creepy gravity defying self. The real competition took place between the three final contestants, Kirche and her familiar who was jumping through flaming helixes and Tabitha with her display of aerial acrobatics on her dragon. The final act of the afternoon was the most anticipated one of the afternoon after the show last night. The only problem was when Louise was finally called to the stage her familiar was nowhere to be found.

"The final act of the evening will be Miss Louise de la Vallière and her familiar Therum Magnus," Henrietta announced happily." Louise where is your familiar?"

"Honestly your majesty I don't really know he was just here a moment ago. Maybe he went to get something for his performance."

"What kind of performance were the two of you planning?"

"To be entirely honest Your Majesty I don't know what he had in mind. All he would tell me is that the show would be magical…"

At the word 'magical' a small explosion was seen at the far edge of the stage and a caped man stepped out of the smoke. "Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls, I the Great Magnus have decided to grace you with my presence. I am told that this is a school for magic so I will now show you how a real magician does things."

"Therum why are you wearing a mask and funny cape, and what do you mean by a real magician?"

"I am not this Therum young lady I am the Great Magnus and I am here to awe and amaze. To demonstrate I will ask that you select one of these fifty two cards without letting me look at it. Memorize the picture on the card and put it back in the deck at random." Not knowing what else to do Henrietta did as the man asked. Once the card had been replaced he shuffled the cards in an elaborate manner even spanning them in an arch over his shoulder from behind his back. Finally he selected a card from the deck and showed it to the princess, the queen of hearts. "Is this your card?"

"As a matter of fact yes it is. How did you do that?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets." With a flick of his wrist the card turned into a single red rose which he handed to the princess. "Now you there young lady with the pink hair, take these three rings and try to pull them apart."

Following the princesses lead she took the rings that her familiar had produced from somewhere under the cape and tried to pull them apart without luck.

"As you can see these are solid metal rings, but if you are as great as I this will pose no problem." Taking the rings back from Louise he gave them a twist and they all came apart with no apparent effort. Taking the rings in one hand and three of the cards from earlier in the other he tossed each ring high into the air. He then sent a card flying right through the center of each ring. As the card cleared each card and ring disappeared to be replaced by a single white dove. Even those who had been using magic for years found themselves clapping.

"For my final trick I will need a volunteer from the audience do I have any volunteers who are not afraid of a little danger?" Surprisingly few hands went into the air after the magician mentioned danger. The princess finally won out over the rest who had raided their hands. "Thank you again for your assistance young miss, I will now make you disappear before this entire crowd."

Taking off his overly long cape he draped it over the smiling royalty. Removing his outlandishly tall hat from his head he pulled out a black stick with white ends that looked a little like a wand. In fact it was just his regular wand with some paint on it. "With the magic words "Abracadabra Alakazam" I make this princess disappear." Pulling the cape from off the princess revealed that she was indeed no longer visible to anyone present. "That concludes the show for this evening folks have a nice day."

"Wait!" shouted someone from the crowd. "You must bring the princess back this instant!"

"Ha-ha, silly me I completely about that part but if you insist. You can't announce a victor without the judge now can you?" Taking off his cape once more, he stepped back to the center of the stage and waived it with a flourish. When he was done Princess Henrietta was once more standing and waiving to the audience.

"That was absolutely marvelous Mister Great Magnus I could see everyone but they couldn't see me. I had to fight so hard not to laugh." He didn't even care that she might be patronizing him, he reveled in her praise.

The applause was cut short by a loud crashing sound coming from the far side of one of the towers. "If you will excuse me dear lady I must be off." The masked familiar kissed the princesses' hand before throwing something on the ground and disappearing in another cloud of smoke.

***BREAK***

Reappearing in another cloud of smoke Therum, or the Great Magnus as he was currently calling himself, came face to foot with a five story tall earth Golem. _'These things happen far too often nowadays for my liking.'_ As the smoke cleared he was finally able to see the small person shaped mass on the Golem's shoulder. "OY, stop making such a racket I am trying to win a talent show over here!"

Yelling at someone riding several tons of countryside will definitely be making it to Therum's bad idea category. Mostly because said person seemed to like using afore mentioned bits countryside to smack pesky familiars into castle walls. Said familiars thanked the heavens for his sword that produced a dampening field which kept him from having to be scraped off the wall. Instead all he got was a large number of moderate to severe bruises and possibly a cracked rib or two. Judging that the pest had been dealt with master and golem went back to smacking the tower. Probably not the brightest idea the person ever had. Then again how was she supposed to know that not only had the pest survived her assault, but also knew a spell to summon something that more than strongly resembles a Colt 1911 army pistol. Just as she was finally breaking through the wall a shot rang through the air and hit her in the shoulder causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground. If the teaching staff had not arrived when they did the wounded thief would most likely not have survived the fall.

Shortly behind the teaching staff, which were making quick combined work of the golem, were the people that Therum called his friends. Seeing him resting against the castle wall they rushed over to check on his well being.

"By the founder Therum are you alright?"

"Who me, of course I am fine. It will take a lot more than some sissy mountain to keep me down for long."

"What happened to you? You look terrible."

"No offense Henrietta, but I doubt you would look as good if you just got smacked into a stone wall by a giant ass pile of dirt. If it weren't for Aurora I doubt we would even be having this conversation right now. Anyway what happened was I showed up here, issued a verbal warning, tripped on my cape, and got smacked into a wall. In retaliation I shot the bitch. Unfortunately I missed due to the pain in my right arm."

"What do you mean missed? You hit a moving target at more than twenty yards while injured if I could get you away from Louise I would hire you instantly. I doubt any of my musketeers could do any better."

"I was aiming for her head and I have a much better gun than what I have seen your troops using."

"That is very unlikely sir we use the finest arms money can buy."

"Don't believe me Agnes?" He stood up slowly and walked over to the woman. "Take a look for yourself. If you have anything like that I will eat my cape, but be careful it still has eight shots left in it."

Taking the strange weapon from the man she carefully looked it over, being sure to keep it pointing away from other people. By the construction it was definitely some kind of pistol but the design was far more advanced than anything she had ever seen before.

"Go ahead and pop off a couple rounds if you like, I have hundreds more around here somewhere." Accepting his offer she took the gun in a standard firing form for pistols and pulled the trigger. Unlike her normal powder weapons, there was no delay between pulling the firing mechanism and the firing of the bullet. It hit the dead center of the tree she had been aiming at with almost no swerve. Needless to say she wanted one of these things very badly.

"I'm going to want that one back love it's a bit harder to replace than a sword." With reluctance the knight captain handed back the weapon to its owner. Said owner hobbled his way over to where the thief was sitting after having been restrained. After seeing her up close, he recognized her as the pretty assistant from the headmaster's office. "Why did you hit me with your great big golem Miss Longueville that really hurt?"

"You were in the way of my prize so I tried to put you down there is nothing personal about it."

"What could you possibly want to steal from a school? I am sure that there are many more prestigious prizes out there."

"I was after a powerful magical artifact housed at this school that is all you are going to get out of me."

"Easy there lady I am just asking a few questions before the guards get hold of you. I am trying to be nice here despite the large amount of pain that I am in from your attack. If you play along I'll try to get you a nice private cell all to yourself. If you don't, I will use my influence with the princess to have you thrown into general lockup with male thieves and rapists." The look on his face showed no sign of a bluff. "Will you play nice now?"

"Get me a water mage to patch up my shoulder and assure me I'll be treated well and I'll talk."

"I hate to tell you, but the way that bullet hit will almost guarantee a loss of mobility no matter what medic gets to you. Take it as a blessing there was a time when my ancestors cut the hands off of thieves or straight hung them after some hearty torture."

"Princess the thief has agreed to cooperate if we can get her some medical attention and promise to go a little easier on her sentencing. Namely putting her into a private cell wherever she gets locked up at and to preferably have female guards watching over her if you get my meaning."

"I will have someone attend to her immediately. What did you tell her to get her to cooperate so easily?"

"I threatened to find someone willing to put her wherever you keep the real scum like rapists."

The princess winced slightly. "Remind me to never let you become an enemy… By the way that was an impressive show today congratulations on your first place medal. It is my honor to personally give you your prize." Taking a step forward and standing on her toes The crown Princess of Tristain planted a chaste kiss on his lips before walking away to find a competent medic. '_Therum two Princess two, we have a tie game.'_

As the poor man was working through what just happened he was struck in the side by a flying red missile. "OH my darling I am so glad you are ok. I know you think that I just want to have my way with you but I really do find myself caring about your well being."

"I appreciate the thought Kirche but if is all the same to you can you please let me go I think I might have a cracked rib or two. Being tackled and smothered is not very high on my list of priorities right now." He gave the poor girl light a pat on the head when she realized what she was doing to him. "I am going to go sit down now if it's all the same to everyone."

The proud yet battered familiar wandered to the first tree he found that had been missed by the earth golem and gracelessly flopped down next to it. The power needed by Aurora to unconsciously block the golem's attack coupled with summoning his pistol left him very low on mana and in bad need of a nap. Deity of choice help the poor soul dumb enough to wake him for something trivial in the near future.

**A/N- This is the second part of the last chapter that I decided to turn into its own chapter. If it hasn't become obvious at this point I am playing things very loose with canon events. Several of the characters will also probably become OOC to varying degrees. This is fanfiction after all if you want true canon go read the novels. Till next time, you know the drill: love it, hate it, flame it, you know where to go.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: The Trouble Doubles**

A few weeks after the attempted robbery at Tristan's magical academy things had gotten back to business as usual. To some extent things were even better than they had been in years. The third daughter of the Vallière family was no longer exploding everything in sight. She would never be a master of multiple fields of magic like several of the students showed promise to be but the maintenance crew was no longer on defcon one either. With the extra attention she had been getting from her "loyal" familiar since the Fouquet incident she was on her way to becoming a real Mage. The reason for the extra attention sprung from her familiar's inability to wander off due to the injuries he sustained while playing the part of a human ping-pong ball. Three weeks of "taking it easy" was all that the restless familiar could stand before he decided to get back to his mischief making. Guiche was starting to walk around corners without looking first again.

"Louise what do you have to do today?"

"I have classes in the morning but other than that I do not have anything planned. Why do you ask?"

"Well I have been cooped up in this blasted castle for weeks now and I thought that we might spend the afternoon practicing with the swords."

"I suppose we can do that if you like. But I am not missing a proper dinner tonight so we will have to keep it fairly short."

"I think I can make that happen," he walked back into his room cracking his knuckles and smiling.

While Louise was in class the increasingly popular familiar had taken to staying in the school library where few students seemed to venture. During these visits he had bumped into Siesta's sponsor and tutor, Professor Colbert many times. That man was another of the relatively small number of nobles that Therum had taken a shine to in a relatively short amount of time. Most of his favor coming from the interest the older man had in technological advancements, something this world was badly lacking. It was refreshing to be able to talk to someone again that had an interest in the sciences again. In his second week of talks with the professor, Colbert had shown the younger man his primitive internal combustion engine. This got Therum talking about how far the same concept had progressed back on earth and drew up some diagrams for ways to help improve Colbert's concept model. In a further show of good faith the professor got to play around with Therum's Harley in exchange for assistance on synthesizing gasoline and motor oil to keep the thing running. Something Therum was more than capable of doing himself but he preferred to have company while doing so.

Today when Colbert came in for their usual discussion, he found the familiar looking at a book about the familiar summoning ritual that brought him here. "Are you trying to find a way back to your world?"

Barely acknowledging the teacher, "No nothing like that, I already have a pretty good grasp on the theory of how to do that. I was more looking at the requirements needed to summon a familiar."

Taking a seat across from Therum, "Are you then wondering why you were called by Louise when the two of you seem to have very little in common?"

"Good question, but still no. That girl is a lot more like me than I care to admit. She has fire and steel in her that just needs a bit of careful forging to produce a fine sword for justice, or if pushed to far a dangerous enemy. I think we match up very well. What I was trying to find out is if I could summon my own familiar or if there was an aspect that I don't qualify for."

"That is an interesting theory. Is there any particular reason why you suddenly wish to summon a familiar of your own?"

"I always wanted a puppy growing up. I figured if I try really hard I can get myself a Cerberus and have three for the price of one now!" "The professor looked as if he had just taken a sip of sour milk.

"Are you serious? The summoning ritual is a lot of work to set up just because you want a dog. You could buy a dozen of the finest breeds in the world for the cost of the reagents alone."

"Don't have a heart attack professor, I was only joking. I don't think I could summon a Cerberus anyway I am terrible with dark magic and that is what they usually tend to go for. The real reason I want to give it a try is to see if I can pull it off."

"What you are talking about is a lot of work just to satisfy a curiosity. There is a reason why we only do the ritual once a year in the spring. Like I said earlier the reagents are very expensive and usually take a while to collect. They also need to be fresh for best results. We tried preserved products before and they failed to produce the same quality results."

"I was reading the list of required items and I can see how they might be a problem for some people, but I have access to all the mineral requirements. The only things that I need to gather are the organic components."

"I think that I might be able to get you all of them except for the essence of an elemental. You don't need much but it is an extremely rare substance and the school can't spare what little we can get our hands on."

"Does the type of elemental essence and how it is acquired affect the results of the summoning?"

"I am not all that sure to tell you the truth. In my time here I have only seen water and fire elemental essence used, and I have not noticed too great a variation."

"How soon can you get these reagents together if I make price a non issue?"

"If we use the leftovers from this year's student summoning and only have to replace a couple of the recourses and you somehow have access to elemental essences I could have everything ready to go in about three days."

A loud banging interrupted the teacher's thoughts when the man in front of him dropped a medium sized gold brick on the table in front of him. "Make it happen!" Very few people can say that have left Jean Colbert completely shocked, but one more has been added to the list.

***BREAK***

When Louise got back to her room after class that day and went to see what her familiar was up to, she decided to back away quietly and finish her assignments. In his room Therum was hunched over his desk alternating between laughing maniacally and talking as he wrote. The desk was surrounded by crumpled papers all over the place and most of everything else was also in disarray. Several leather bound tomes lay open on every flat surface many with hand written noted laying next to them.

"Louise I know that was you who just walked in a moment ago; don't forget that we are still doing some training today."

"Are you sure about that?" She asked poking her head into the open doorway. "You look really busy and I would hate to interrupt whatever it is you are working on." Cutting him off, "If it is really complicated and likely to explode I don't want to know about it. That way if you do get in trouble I don't have to lie for you."

Getting up from the desk and collecting their two wooden swords from the weapon rack, "Let's go play a little I am tired of being cooped up inside all day."

On their way down the tower steps to the courtyard the duo ran into Siesta on her way back up the stairs. "Good afternoon to you both," she said with a little bow. "Where are you two off to with those weapons?"

"Therum has been feeling cooped up lately so he is going to go beat me in the courtyard."

There would have been a spit-take has she been drinking anything. "I am not just beating on her Siesta, I am teaching her how to wield a sword so she can better defend herself if I am not around. I can teach you a few things if you would like me to. I would like to have someone more her size and skill level to duel with from time to time."

"I would like that very much Therum. I will go put my books away and meet you both down there in a few minutes." The former maid happily bounced up the stairs.

"Are you going to teach her the same way that you taught me?"

"More or less, though I may be a little nicer to her for the first few sessions. She doesn't have my body to learn in while taking blows."

"I guess that makes sense, I would hate for my familiar to be a criminal for accidently killing one of his friends."

"Careful Louise, you might actually be developing a sense of humor."

"What is that supposed to mean are you inferring that I couldn't take a joke when you first met me? That I was just some stuck up little rich girl that wouldn't last a week in the real world?

"I was implying that, you inferred…" She playfully swung a punch at him only to have it parried by one of the swords, effectively hurting her hand. "By the way I still doubt your ability to make it a decent stretch of time as a normal person."

Her comeback was cut off by him tossing a sword at her once they had reached their destination. No words were spoken as he took a low guard with the wooden replica of his sword. Knowing what he wanted, Louise charged him with her wooden Derflinger. Each sword was filled carefully with lead at the center until it had near the exact same weight as its real counterpart, another byproduct of Therum finding himself with too much time on his hands and an inability to train. Louise had been quickly improving her skill with a sword. Seeing as how he couldn't work with her himself, he showed her a few katas to run through on her own. As such her style was developing into a strange mix of kendo and Western European swordsmanship. Therum usually stayed on the offensive with his larger sword and powerful strokes but every once and a while the smaller girl forced him to switch to defense.

Siesta had little trouble finding the two when she made her way outside. The clacking of the swords made an easy target to follow. Louise was already sweating profusely by the time she showed up while Therum had barely accelerated his breathing. She had no formal training with swords but it was very clear who is in control of their matches. As the spar continued Siesta was able to pick out distinct differences in the two styles despite Louise having been trained by Therum. He preferred to fight one handed favoring thrust attacks while Louise always used two hands and favored slashing attacks. Finally Louise noticed the other girl out of the side of her eye and dropped her guard a little too much. That cost her a less than gentle rap on the head.

"Never drop your guard like that Louise; I will bop you every time." Surprisingly the pinkette just rubbed the knot and stuck her tongue out at its source.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Louise working through her katas while Therum showed Siesta the ropes. She wasn't picking things up quite as quickly as Louise did but for a single day her progress was plenty admirable. Much too soon for the man's liking they had to end practice in order to make it to dinner on time. He would have practiced through dinner if he had his way but Tabitha and Kirche stopped by on their way to the Avails Hall.

"Hello darlings what are you up to this time?"

"I was teaching these girls how to use a sword incase the situation won't let you use magic."

"Well that's awfully silly when would you not be able to use magic?"

"I can think of several of likely situations. For example how well can you cast wandlessly?"

"She is very bad."

"Hey that's not fair. I can cast without a wand if I want too. I just don't want to."

"Even if you can do some simple spells without a wand how effective would you be in a fight? I have yet to meet a mage here yet who can pass your line level without a focus of some sort. You nobles depend on your wands and staves like an old man with a crutch. That is why I am teaching them how to use swords."

"I can fight without a staff."

"I would very much like to test you on that sometime Tabitha. How would you like to have a little magical duel after dinner?"

"I accept your challenge."

"Did you hear that Louise? Tabitha is going to fight my darling with nothing but her bare hands. This is going to be the talk of the whole school."

"Not if you don't tell anyone about it Zerbst. Therum just wants to have a friendly face-off with Tabitha I doubt either one of them want to be the center of attention again."

"Thank you Louise that was very insightful of you. If you will all excuse me I am going to head to the kitchens and grab something to eat. Want to come with me Siesta?"

"Yes Mister Therum I would like that very much. The students have been a lot nicer to me these last few weeks but I still prefer the company of the rest of the staff during meals."

"Excellent. See the rest of you here in an hour or so."

***BREAK***

"Are you sure you want to do this Tabitha? We don't know anything about what kind of magic he can use."

"I will be fine."

"She's right Kirche I don't intend to do anything that will cause serious harm to her. I just want to see how she conducts herself against an experienced battle-mage without her staff. The rules will be that the first one to give up or be rendered unconscious loses. Let's begin."

To make things fair Therum gave Tabitha one of the wooden swords his pupils had been wielding earlier. Much to his surprise she seemed to know at least the basics of how to wield the training weapon. The two circled each other waiting for the first move to happen. To make things interesting Therum made the first move and went in with a straight lunge. Tabitha countered his telegraphed attack with a simple parry and returned the favor with an ice spear. The sudden magical attack forced the familiar to halt his lazy advance and switch to a defensive stance. Somehow she seemed to be casting several more low level ice attacks using the sword as a focus. They were either parried with his sword or side stepped depending on the force behind the attacks. The attacks were too slow to be very dangerous but they did keep him on the defensive and away from the quiet blunette. Seeing that he wasn't going to easily win with just the wooden sword he decided to pull out a few tricks of his own. Instead of dodging the next wave of ice knives he opted for a low level fireball. A barely perceptible frown formed on Tabitha's face when she was forced to summon up a heavy gust of wind to disperse the incoming flames.

While working to keep from being burnt Tabitha failed to keep an eye on the man who had sent the attack and nearly fell for the attack from her left side. It was only a very quickly summoned gust that bought her enough time to defend herself properly. From that point on the match was increasingly one sided as Therum relentlessly kept on the offensive. Tabitha proved to be much better than Louise currently was with a sword but still a few orders of magnitude below opponent. Just as he was moving in for the final attack when he slipped on a sizeable patch of ice and fell on his ass. This left him lying on his back staring down the point of Tabitha's sword. It might have been the light but for a second there appeared to be a smirk on the girl's lips.

"You lose."

Brushing himself off, "It would appear that I did indeed lose little miss. I would say that you can indeed hold your own without a wand or staff. One piece of advice I would offer you though is to not stand over a conscious opponent's legs." As he was speaking he performed a quick leg sweep that the girl had not been expecting causing her to lose her balance and fall on the man beneath her. She caught herself just a few inches away from the man's face. "I hope the rest of you learned something from this." If you would be so kind to let me up Tabitha I think that I bruised my pride and need to sleep it off." The shy girl practically leapt off the man so that he could pick himself up. The three other girls couldn't help but laugh at the other's embarrassment. Tabitha let her features soften into a warm smile briefly before returning to her normal stoic face, with the noticeable addition of a mild blush.

***BREAK***

By the end of the week, despite his best efforts, everyone in the school seemed to have learned about the miss fated duel. No two versions of the story seemed to completely match up with another but despite the embellishments the outcome remained the same. The terrifying sword wielding familiar had been beaten by a girl, and a very small one at that. Normally having embarrassing stories about his personal life leaked would have bothered Therum but the outcome from this one made everything better. It got most of the student body to lose interest in him now that he wasn't some sort of atomic super warrior. The loss of infamy and the increase of peace suited him just fine. He could even walk the hallways without being stared at most hours of the day. He even managed to join Louise in a few of her classes now that his mere presence didn't cause hushed panic. When Colbert contacted him one afternoon telling him that the final ingredient had arrived Therum failed to contain the happy spasm he had been holding. He was on his way to meet with the balding professor in the Library when a semi frantic Louise caught up with him.

"Therum there you are I have been looking for you everywhere," she panted.

"Easy there little master, catch your breath first then tell me what's got you in such a panic."

"I just got a letter from the palace today in the mail. Princess Henrietta wants to meet with the two of us tomorrow at the palace."

"Did she say what she wanted to talk about?"

"No she didn't. The entire letter said was that she had something important to ask us and she would rather it be in person."

"That works for me. My new watch should be ready by now anyway. Now if you will excuse me Louise I have a meeting to get to with Professor Colbert."

Louise looked a little confused. "What kind of meeting could you have with the professor that would be more important than setting up a meeting with the princess of the country?"

"If my guess is correct this will prove to be a lot more interesting than anything else you can tell me about that letter. Feel free to come check it out."

***BREAK***

"Hello professor how are you this afternoon."

"I am doing very well Mister Magnus. I would be lying if I told you that I was not a little bit excited about the outcome of today's experiment. Since a human familiar is such a rare thing, having a familiar summon a familiar is completely unprecedented."

"That is what you have been up to all week? You want to summon a familiar of your own? What would you even need a familiar for anyway?"

"What did you need a familiar for when you summoned me? I figured that if everyone around me has a familiar of their own then I want one too."

"Won't that give away your secret of being able to use magic if you have a familiar?"

"It might be a little hard to explain depending on what I get if anything, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I am not too worried though, most people in this world that I would care about finding out seem too dense to connect the dots anyway. Professor we can get started whenever you are ready."

"Let's head down to the courtyard where I have most everything set up and we can begin from there.

***BREAK***

"As you can see I have already drawn the summoning array for you to use and mixed all the reagents together except for the essence of elemental and diamond dust. Do you have those with you?" Therum handed the professor a small pouch and then removed a small box on a chain from around his neck.

"The pouch has the diamond powder in it feel free to use as much as you need, and the locket has the essence in it."

Colbert took both items from the familiar. He poured a small amount of the sparkling powder into a bowl with a mixture of other reagents and then turned his attention to the locket. Opening it revealed a sight of true beauty. I looked a lot like a diamond at first but further investigation lead one to see a small blue fire in the interior that occasionally sparked with electricity. "What have you given me here Therum? This is far too beautiful to throw away in some random experiment."

"That is a piece of the heart from a prime elemental. Fire, ice, and lightning in perfect harmony. It's the same substance that makes up the core of my wand. I had to help kill one to complete my training. It had taken possession of another young mage and couldn't be allowed to live."

"I can't imagine that to be an easy task if it was like any of the elementals that I have ever come across."

"It was an absolute bitch to take down, but that is a story for another time. Let's get on with this little experiment."

"If that is what you want to do then so be it." With a little remorse Colbert added the contents of the locket to his mixture and spoke a lengthy incantation over the bowl. At the end of the spell the bowl flared light briefly and then quieted down to reveal a silvery liquid. Filling a cup with the liquid he went over to where Therum was standing next to Louise. "Drink this then move to the center of summoning circle. You have already read standard summoning call but the actual words are not all that important. What is important is that you trust your magic, and that your call is true and sincere. By the way you may be happy to know that I found this in the bowl after the incantation." Colbert handed Therum the cup and a small stone. The stone was the remains of the one from the necklace only now about half its original size.

"Thank you Professor." He returned the stone to the locket and replaced it carefully around his neck. Next he stepped into the circle and drank the contents of the cup. After a moment when he felt the magic of the drink take effect he made his call. "Spirits of the cosmos listen to my humble request. Bring to me the one who is my perfect companion. I ask fourth a being that will be not only a helping hand but also a loyal friend. Bring to me my stunning and majestic familiar."

Louise and Colbert found themselves holding their breath as the familiar finished his call for his familiar. For a few seconds nothing happened but when they were about to write off the experiment as a failure, a series of electric sparks started erupting in front of the caster. It started with one or two but soon there were so many that you couldn't look directly at them due to the light. With one final flash and a concussion like thunder the reaction ended leaving behind a beautiful young woman. Or she would have been a beautiful woman if she weren't a foot tall with white feathery wings on her back.

Knowing what happens next from his own summoning the mage gently scooped up the small creature and sealed their contract with a kiss after declaring himself to the five elements. No sooner had he finished the contract than the little angel regained her bearings as well. "Who the hell are you and where the hell am I?"

Therum was moderately surprised to find a small sword pointing at him. "You are at the Tristain Academy of Magic small warrior and I have just summoned you to be my lifelong familiar. If you don't mind my asking what species are you noble lady?"

"You summon me untold distances to serve you and you can't even tell I'm an Avorian? I am a soldier so I'm used to taking orders from people so that part isn't so bad but I can't believe that I have to serve an idiot of a magician."

"Look at that Therum she has you pegged after less than a minute."

"Shut it Louise you aren't helping things."

"Who do you think you are to speak to your master like that you stupid dog? Don't forget that you are still my familiar even if you have summoned one of your own."

"Wait a minute," the small winged girl raised her hands. "Are you telling me that not only have I been abducted by giant sorcerers but the one I am stuck with isn't even a free man? You have to be shitting me."

"Sorry to disappoint you little miss but that kinda explains things in a nutshell."

"Stop calling me little I have a name you know its Kistna. I am, or was, a Lieutenant in the Imperial Air Assault Corps."

"Well now you are Kistna familiar and companion to the Arcane Warrior Therum Magnus; who in turn is the familiar to Louise Francois le Blanch de la Vallière daughter of a powerful duke."

"Are you making fun of me, because if you are I will take you down big man. I don't care how much bigger you are than me I will gut you if I find out you are insulting me."

"I would never do such a thing to a lady as beautiful as you are my dear Kistna."

"Now he's having you on. I have known him long enough by now to tell the difference. He really was just introducing himself the first time." Louise walked over to properly greet her familiar's familiar. "As he said I am Louise de la Vallière and I am the unfortunate master of such a troublesome familiar."

"So if you are his boss and he is my boss does that mean that I have to listen to you too?"

"I don't think that it works like that a familiar only has to listen to their master's commands. If I wanted to order you to do something I would have to order him to order you but I doubt he would listen. As a familiar he is remarkably useless."

"It's times like this when I wish I had listened to what my mother said…"

"What did she say?"

"I don't know. That's why I wish I had listened. She was a truly great magister herself, just like the rest of my family. I am the only one who can't use magic. My mother used to try and tell me how to deal with my repeated failures but I just ignored her. Look where that got me."

"If it makes you feel any better, my little master used to be seen as a failure not too long ago. It wasn't until I arrived that her luck turned around. We even have an audience with the Crown Princess tomorrow morning."

"Oh great politics, just what I always wanted to do with my life."

"Yeah tell me about it. Still the princess is a fine young woman who has earned my respect. I will at least listen to what she has to say before I decide whether or not to reject the idea."

"Spoken like a true fighter. Maybe I miss judged you giganto. I will pledge my fealty to you and your lady for the time being. It's not like I have a whole lot of options at this point."

"Excellent. Let's return to our rooms and work out the details of our contract." Noticing Colbert still standing off to one side, "Before we go I would like to introduce you to someone Kistna. This is Professor Jean Colbert; he helped me set up the summoning."

From her new spot on Therum's shoulder, the winged familiar examined the balding man. Aster about ten seconds she stuck out her tiny hand towards the older man. "Always glad to meet another soldier who's not trying to kill me."

"I think you might have me mistaken with someone else miss I am no soldier."

"Don't insult my intelligence buddy. I might not have turned out to be what my family hoped for but I am not stupid either. I can tell you are at least ex-military by the way you stand and move. Nobody but a trained killer can be ready to strike at any moment while looking so casual. If I were five times my size I would totally have to challenge you to a match."

"She's got you there pal. I have noticed how you act around me when I do something unexpected. You don't visibly react much, but there are small tells when you know what to look for. Don't worry your past is none of my business and I won't ask. I just want to thank you for all your help today. Keep any of the gold that may have been left over as a tip or something I have plenty more."

***BREAK***

Back in Louise's chambers the newly formed trio was trying to work out the details of their newest member's lodgings. Therum wanted Kistna to share space with Louise but neither of the girls seemed to think that much of a good idea.

"I am stuck with you as my lord for the foreseeable future it only makes sense that I would share your chambers where I will be more readily able to assist you."

"That is a good argument but you two are both female and I am a male. It would be much more proper to keep us separated by gender don't you think?"

"Don't worry about me. Life as a soldier ruined what little modesty I ever had. Besides, it's not like you could do anything improper to me if you wanted to. There is a sizeable issue of proportions that would make anything between us extremely difficult. If that isn't enough for you, remember you asked for this not me. I was minding my own business waiting for someone to find a trap I had "misplaced" when a big ass portal popped out of nowhere and sucked me in. Whether you like it or not, you have to take care of me."

"Fine, I'll set you up a place to stay in my room. Just give me a moment to think of something. Louise please keep her out of trouble for a little while would you?"

"You're one to talk aren't you?" His reply came in the form of the door closing in her face.

"Is he always in this good of a mood?"

"No actually, he is usually annoyingly cheerful all the time. I think he just hates losing debates. Especially when he loses the same kind of argument he had with me one time. Whatever is bugging him, I'm sure he'll be fine by morning."

Kistna looked pensive for a short time. "How long has he been your familiar? You two talk like you have known each other for years."

"Actually I only summoned him about two months ago when the rest of the students had the annual summoning ritual. Since then he has been doing his very best to disrupt my way of life and generally complicate things. I would complain more but he really has turned me around from being a complete failure as a mage." She then proceeded to give the tiny winged girl a basic rundown of how things are supposed to run in Halkeginia and what her new master had been doing to change the millennia old status quo.

"He sounds like an interesting man. Maybe being his partner won't be so bad after all. I haven't had a good prank war in years."

"I personally wouldn't advise that Kist, I don't play fair in war."A familiar tenor from the direction of Therum's room startled the pair out of their conversation. "Your new rooms are about finished except for personal touches."

Not waiting for Louise to get up from her chair, Kistna took off from the table and flew into her master's room for the first time. Therum had to duck slightly to avoid being nailed in the head by his new companion. Once she made it into the other room it didn't take Louise long to notice the changes. About a third of the original high ceilings had been extended downwards around two feet with a door on the side facing her room and a few windows spread across the rest of the wall spaces. Kistna was nowhere to be seen so the small familiar was assumed to already be inside the structure.

"That is a rather clever use of space."

"Everything I do is clever Louise. Some things are just more obvious than others. I do appreciate the compliment though; I hope she is of the same opinion. It takes a lot of effort to magically craft a dozen tiny pieces of furniture and a working bathroom with no plumbing."

"Holy shit I have my own crapper!" Came a muffled voice from somewhere in the confines of the new "bird house".

"Somehow I think she is going to like it just fine," Louise deadpanned.

"What do you think Kistna? Did I get the dimensions right?"

No immediate response came until a small head popped out one of the side windows. "The place is great. I would have been content with a curtain and a cot but I could definitely get used to this. I could use some decorations for the walls though. All the white is going to get a little old after a while."

"We can worry about that tomorrow along with the amount of profanity you use."

"That reminds me, how can she speak my language so perfectly if you talk with an accent?"

"You know, that's a good question. Maybe she has the exact native dialect that you do through some sort of cosmic coincidence. Or I could have routed a translation spell through you at the same time she appeared in the circle. We may never know."

"Does he always speak in circles like that?"

"I am afraid so. Don't worry you get used to it after a while. Eventually he even starts to make a little sense."

It's hard to tell with the distance but Kistna may have accidentally mastered one of her master's predatory grins. "I'll make a deal with you master." This got the other familiar's attention. "You keep from talking in riddles around me and I will do my best not to use the bad words that offend your little ears. Otherwise, I will damn well speak however I want to."

He seemed deep in thought for a moment. "I am sorry dear your terms are too steep for me to accept I am afraid that we will have to come to some sort of other arrangement."

"It's that or nothing buster. If you don't want me to sound like a common grunt you are going to have to sound less like a politician. I fucking hate those uptight assholes." There was a sound of a window shutting.

"Was I this cheerful l when I was first summoned Louise?"

"Are you kidding me? You still aren't that easy to get along with. At least she comes right out with what she wants or is thinking. There are mules with easier dispositions than you at times."

"I take offense to that. I am only disagreeable when you want me to do something against my values, or when being so is more fun for me."

"I think she is the perfect familiar for you. She uses your own tactics against you."

"Oh well, I get to introduce her to the motorcycle tomorrow. That should be a lot of fun."

"You do realize that she would probably wind up killing you is she were a normal sized person."

"You do realize that I could make that happen with a little bit of effort don't you, and that she is still listening to this conversation. You can come out from behind the door now Kistna."

"Holy crap do you have eyes in the back of your head or something too? Who the hell are you and what have I been dragged into?"

"I assure you that I only have the two eyes, but they aren't the only way I can see." His master and familiar both face palmed themselves.

"Forget this I'm going to sleep," they said in unison followed by a pair of slamming doors.

"Goodnight girls, we have an exciting day ahead of us tomorrow." Not knowing why, several people across the country suddenly felt a chill go down their backs.

**A/N I bet very few of you saw this chapter coming. I hope it doesn't come off as too outlandish, but the idea would not leave me alone until I did something with it. Next time we find out what exactly the princess wants with our newly expanded trio. Anyway good or bad, let me know what y'all think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Boiling Point**

At dawn the following morning, a certain familiar felt that his own new familiar needed a proper wake up call. He had the perfect idea in mind if only he could find the right book. Apparently the language barrier hadn't stopped Louise from looking through the other books on his shelf or from putting them back in the wrong places. She would be getting a piece of his mind in the near future. Fortunately for the small girl the older magi found the book he was looking for and expertly flipped to the page he wanted. Reading the incantation from the page he cast the spell he had been looking to use for a while.

When the flash from the spell ended Therum found himself looking at an exact duplicate of his self. Casting a shrinking spell on the duplicate, he levitated it up to the front porch of the "Bird House" as he had named it. Once his duplicate was safely on semi solid footing again he left to wake Louise up.

***BREAK***

Inside the ceiling apartment the Therum duplicate was making his way to the bedroom with a shining metal object in his hands. As he approached the bed with the soundly sleeping form of his familiar in it he raised the object and prepared for his attack. Suddenly both sleeping ladies were thoroughly jarred from their slumbers by a blaring bugle blast. Unfortunately for the tiny mage his new familiar was the paranoid type with extensive combat training. He had barely begun the second verse of "Revelry" when he found a flustered looking woman standing over him with a sword in his abdomen.

"Is that any way to treat your new master?" the imitation said before collapsing. Needless to say Kistna decided that now is as good a time as any to freak out.

"Oh my Divines I've only had this job a day and already killed him." Suddenly the still form shook slightly and then burst in an all out guffaw.

"Damn I can't believe that I got you twice in less than five minutes. This isn't really me. I cast a remote presence spell on myself that literally lets me be in two places at once, except this body is nothing more than solid magic."

Ever the true credit to her gender, Kistna did a roundabout from worried to furious in a split second. "You piece of gurtong shit I was really worried that I had hurt you. What kind of a person does that?"

Between fits of laughter he found the ability to attempt an explanation. "I'm sorry; I just wanted to wake you up the way some soldiers from my homeland get woken up. Besides you know you would be laughing your ass off right now if our positions were reversed."

"I guess you're right, I probably would. If this you is a fake, what is the real you doing right now?"

"I am in the other room still laughing my butt off at Louise falling out of bed when I woke her up the same way I did. I'm just glad I started hiding her wand at night." Removing the sword from his temporary body, he handed it back to its owner. "Just because this isn't a real body doesn't mean I can't feel with it you know. Try to be more careful with that thing it hurts like hell." He turned to leave the room but stopped in the doorway for just a moment. "We might also want to get you some night clothes. I like what I see, but I imagine it's a bit cold sleeping like that."

Realizing what he was talking about after a moment, she grabbed a nearby sheet to cover herself and threw hew sword at her bothersome master. "I'm going to kill you for this." She said with a very red face.

"I don't know what you are talking about. You told me last night that you don't really have any modesty left. Would it make you feel better if I showed you my birthday suit? It's not like it isn't old news around here anyway." The real Therum called from the ground.

"What is that even supposed to mean? Are you and Louise lovers or something?" she called from an open window.

"No nothing like that. We just had an incident a few weeks back when I was still new here that caused us to walk quite a few miles in the other person's shoes if you catch my drift."

"Not really but I don't think that I really want to. Let me get my uniform on and I'll be down in a few."

"Are you dressed yet Louise?"

"Nearly finished, will you give me back my wand now?"

"That depends, do you still plan to send explosions at me as soon as it leave my hand." She gave him a harrumph as a response. "I thought as much. You can have it back after breakfast if SOMEONE doesn't make us late." A few moments later Kistna flew into the other room and landed on her new master's shoulder.

"Shut up you impatient ass I'm ready alright. It takes a little longer for me to get dressed than you groundlings. The wings get in the way sometimes." She flapped them a few times in Therum's face to make her point.

"I would imagine that all of your clothes would be designed to deal with that little issue."

"Where I come from there are us Avorians and there are humans like you only our size. We have always handled the military issues and left the day to day things like trade and manufacturing to them. As a side result almost all of our clothes are the same as a normal human except for wing holes. As such everything fits alright, it just takes me a bit longer to get dressed than you two so cut me some slack."

"Excuse him, he either thinks too much about what he says or not at all."

"We have a lot to do today and I would like to get as early of a start as I can manage if that is alright by you."

"Fine let's just go down to the dining hall before Kirche eats everything."

"You should not talk so harshly about your friends little master. That reminds me, Kistna, most people around here don't know that I can use magic so I would appreciate it if you could keep it a secret too. If anyone asks just tell them that I helped you out after a long journey from where you are from and you agreed to hang around and return the favor."

"Why would you want to hide your art from these people? From what I have seen so far you are an excellent mage and deserve the respect that comes with that."

"Have you ever heard of a came called chess?"

"No I haven't what is it?"

"Hang on a second it will be easier if I just show you." He disappeared into his chambers for a couple of minutes and returned carrying an ornately carved box with a number of different colored tiles on the top. Going over to Louise's table he quickly removed all the pieces from the box and expertly set up the board. "This is a chess board."

Louise went over to the board he had just set up and gave it with a curious look. "What sort of game is it Therum?"

"In simplest terms it is one of the oldest war games known to my people. Each piece has a set of rules that goes with it that governs how it can move around the board. There are the pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, and a king and queen," he pointed to each piece as he named them. Then he told the girls how each piece works except for the queen. "Now that I have explained the game to you in some detail I can continue with my earlier point. Imagine that you and I were playing a game of chess with what I have told you up to this point. Who would have the clearest advantage?"

"Well you would because you have more experience at the game than we do."

"Is that the only reason Louise?" Kistna realized where he was going with this.

"You would have the advantage because you are the only one here who knows how the queen works. Neither of us could really use it."

"That is exactly right. If you see the world as the chess board, I would be like the queen. Many people know that I am capable of doing a lot of interesting things but they don't know exactly what I can do. I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. You never know when having a trump card or two may come in handy."

"Sounds reasonable to me, I like messing with people."

"Glad we could come to an agreement now let's get some breakfast I'm starved."

***BREAK***

Due to getting up so early that morning, there were very few people wandering around the castle. The three travelers made it down to the kitchens without running into a single student. Once in the kitchens, things were a different story with the morning hustle of the servants rushing around to get everything ready in time for the noble's breakfast. Oddly enough Siesta was down there in her old maid uniform doing the dishes as the cooks finished with them. She was the first person to notice her friends enter along with their newest companion.

"Good morning Mister Therum and Miss Louise what brings you down here so early this morning? It is a day off for the students after all."

"We have an important meeting with Princess Henrietta this morning and it is best to not make her wait on us."

"I hardly think that that will be much of a problem Louise."

"Whether it is a problem or not we should still show her majesty the respect she deserves as royalty."

"Can you two argue after we've eaten please? Unlike some of you I have been through a rather traumatic experience and missed a couple meals yesterday."

"I have to ask, who is the person sitting on your shoulder Therum?"

"This lovely bird is Kistna. She will be staying with us for a while so pleas treat her kindly."

"I am not a stinking bird! I am an Avorian!"

"I'm sorry I guess that is a bit of a translation error on my part, this isn't my native language after all. Calling someone a bird is slang for a pretty girl in one of the countries I visited a few times. The fact that you happen to be part fowl has nothing to do with it." Kistna gave him a look that showed how little she believed him."

"I must agree with Kistna. We can bicker on the way to the palace if we really must."

"Would you care to join us Siesta your company would be greatly appreciated."

"I would but I have so many dishes to finish before I start the laundry for the day." She shied away with a little bow.

"You are a student here now you don't have to do all this extra work you know. Besides those dishes look plenty clean to me I think you have earned a break." Siesta was about to protest when she looked over at the sinks to see nothing but clean pots, pans, and plated stacked on the counter top.

"I guess that a few minutes couldn't be too bad. I like working here with the other servants though and they still pay me for my work. Besides I always finish my school work the day it is assigned so if I didn't work here I would have nothing to do."

***BREAK***

Breakfast was shortly over and the dishes were quickly dispatched in the usual way by Therum and Siesta. Nothing of real importance was discussed while eating except for Kistna and Siesta forming a sort of bond. Siesta shared how her life had recently changed and Kistna did her best to corrupt the poor girl with her cheerful yet crude ways. Before any of the friends knew what happened it was time for Siesta to get back to work while the other maids served breakfast and the trio headed out for their meeting.

"Thank you for your company Siesta I always enjoy our talks."

"The pleasure was all mine. I will speak with you all again very soon."

"I love how polite that girl is. You two could learn a thing or two from her." Two icy stares dropped the temperature of the room several degrees. "Louise would you give me your hand and think of the entrance hall of the palace?"

"Uh sure thing. What are you planning to do?"

"I plan on doing this." As soon as he had the girl's hand the three of them disappeared from the kitchen and reappeared in the entry way of the castle. "Damn that is tiring with three people."

Louise gave the man a good smack once she had regained her balance. Kistna did the same to his temple. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

"First of all that depends on what you think I did and second damn girl you pack a punch."

"Did you just 'teleport' us from the kitchens of the academy to the palace?"

"Oh that, if that is what you think I did then yes I did what you think. I figured it would be a lot less trouble than taking the motorcycle with both you and Kistna."

"Hold on a freaking second! What the hell are you talking about and what is this 'teleport' thing she is talking about?"

"Without going into the details, I instantly moved us from one place to the other with magic."

"I didn't even know that something like that is possible! If you keep doing things like this having to serve you for life might not be so bad."

"I am glad you find me an acceptable companion. Come on let's hunt down Henrietta and find out what she wants us to do."

***BREAK***

"Hello Your Majesty, how are you this morning?"

"Oh my founder who's there?" Therum had to erect a hasty barrier to keep from having his head taken off by an ice spear.

"Easy there your highness we have an appointment." About this time the princess realized who she was attacking

"I am so sorry you two I was not expecting you until much later. Normally Agnes or one of the other guards alerts me when someone is here to see me. Why are they not here right now?"

"That probably has something to do with the fact that they probably don't know we are here. We entered the castle through a new spell that Louise is working on."

Henrietta gave the pair a distinct look that clearly displayed her disbelief in that story. Deciding that the story probably wasn't worth the effort she turned her attention to the third party member. "That is an interesting construct you have on your shoulder Sir Therum, where ever did you find it."

"You could say that she kinda found me."

"I am not some construct either; I am a proud Avorian warrior 'your highness.'" Henrietta's eyes went wide when she realized that the creature on her friend's familiar was a sentient being.

"Excuse me for my rudeness. I have never before met one of your race, and therefore did not know that you can talk. That is another story I would like to hear mister familiar. Unfortunately time is of the essence and I have need of you two for a very important mission."

"Anything you ask of me Your Highness I will do the very best of my ability."

"Thank you Louise Francois but I have told you before that in private you must call me by my name."

"Of course Your…Henrietta."

"On to business then shall we? As you have probably heard the island nation of Albion is in a state of internal turmoil and the Royal Family may not have much time left. It is because of the troubling times that I am to marry the Emperor of Germania to secure our alliance. The only problem is a letter that I wrote years ago that could make things very troubling if it fell into the hands of the Albion rebels."

"So you want us to go to Albion and retrieve this letter from the person you sent it to right?"

"Very astute of you Mister Therum, I hate to ask such a dangerous task of you but I don't know who else I can trust. I need you to go to where the royal family is making their last stand and retrieve that letter from The Crown Prince Wales."

"We will gladly do anything you ask of us for the good of the country."

"I won't." Louise looked furious and Henrietta looked defeated. "I am not a citizen of this country so I have no reason to fight for it. I do, however, respect you Henrietta and think of you as a friend. I will undertake this mission for you not the country."

Henrietta blushed slightly. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me. Louise please take this ring as a symbol to show your identity as my messengers. It is a water ruby that makes up one half of a pair. If you should come into finical troubles on your journey please do not hesitate to sell it." Louise took the ring as if it were a small child. "Finally I have an escort that I would like to travel with you."

"I hardly think that that should be necessary. Miss Henrietta I am sure that I can look after Louise well enough on my own."

"I do not doubt your ability but I would feel much better if he went along with you."

"We will do as you wish your… Henrietta." Louise elbowed her familiar to cut off his reply.

"Just tell him to be at the academy by noon. I want to get this trip underway as quickly as possible before anyone else can get involved."

"I will send the message out to him immediately. Thank you three for your loyal support."

"See you soon milady. Come on Louise let's get out of here before Agnes finds us and kills me for sneaking in."

Henrietta watched her friend and her mysterious familiar leave the throne room with more than passing interest. _'There is definitely more to that man than he is revealing. The Palace is warded against all known forms of magic yet he claims to have entered with a spell Louise cast. Not only that but he shows up with a girl on his shoulder who claims to be from a race I have never heard of. I will figure you out Therum Magnus even if I have to use every ounce of my royal power and feminine charm to do so. If he can attract the attention of a man hater like Agnes he must be a truly amazing man.'_

***BREAK***

"I really don't like traveling like that. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Don't be such a baby Kistna it's not all that bad."

"Just promise me that we can take some other form of transportation to this Albion. I don't know if I could take a third trip today."

"We will have to take a different form of travel to get there. First off I have never been there before and neither has Louise so I can't teleport there. I can only go places that I have been before or that someone with me has been before. Besides the range is rather limited especially with three people, I used nearly half my magical reserves on the trip to and from the castle."

"How do you plan to get to Albion Therum? Are you going to make me ride all the way there on the motorcycle?"

"That is exactly what I plan to do. I am not overly fond of horseback riding and carriages are much too slow for my liking."

"What is this motor thing that you two keep talking about? You make it sound like the worst form of transportation ever. Nothing can be worse than that teleport stuff."

"It's not that a motorcycle is a bad mode of getting from place to place, I just had a bad first experience. It's a machine from his world that moves far too fast for my liking and makes way too much noise."

"That sounds awesome."

"I'm glad someone agrees with me. Now we need to pack for our trip I have no idea how long this is going to take so back a few changes of clothes and maybe some rations."

***BREAK***

"That thing is a motor cycle? It looks like someone just cut a cart in half and put a seat on it."

"I would call it more of a mechanical horse than a carriage. It does move under its own power after all."

"What is that foul smelling liquid you are pouring inside of it?"

"This stuff is called gasoline Louise. It is what makes the motor work to move the bike along. If it does not have any gas the thing won't run. Professor Colbert helped me synthesize some last week."

"I still don't see why you can't just use magic to make it move."

"I have my reasons, the key one of which being that I don't want to. Now Kistna I modified the left saddle bag into a seat for you so that you don't have to try and fly to keep up on this long trip. It has a mild magical barrier around it that should lessen wind force and motor noise."

"My aren't you considerate." She landed on the bag from her hovering position and slid into the seat. "This is pretty comfortable. I think I could get used to this."

"All we're waiting for now it this supposed escort the princess is sending."

"In that case your wait is over. Viscount Wardes Captain of her majesty's griffon knights at your service. Louise it is good to see my fiancée again." Apparently that was the wrong moment for Therum to have taken a sip from his flask as it caused a choking sputter."

Still coughing, "Did he just say fiancée? These are the kind of thing you should really tell me Louise…"

"Who is this man Louise is he your lover?" Louise turned deep red.

"He is no such thing he is just my troublesome familiar. I most certainly do not have a lover.

"That is very good to hear Louise if my fiancé had found comfort in the arms of another man I would have grieved to death."

Less than subtly the two men began to size each other up. Therum hoped that his figure was as imposing as he thought it was. He had opted for another one of his period outfits with a white shirt and brown pants and riding boots. He had Aurora and Umbra grossed on his back and a .45 colt revolver on his belt disguised as a normal dueling pistol. Finally he had his leather satchel over his shoulder as well so that he had a place to keep his shrunken gear. Wardes on the other hand looked every bit the role of a proper nobleman He wore fine riding clothes with a funny looking sword on his belt and what looked like a money pouch on the other side. Either he was too stupid to back extra gear or it was on his mount wherever that was. One thing was pretty clear. Neither men were willing to become best friends with the other and were only looking for an excuse to attack.

"Is that alcohol I smell on your breath familiar? I would think that someone representing a lady af fair as my Louise would conduct himself with a little more tact."

"Yeah I had a sip or two of brandy. It was not enough to impair my abilities and I fail to see how it is any of your business."

"I am just unsure if it is wise to trust the safety of someone so important to me to such a rough commoner."

"My name is Therum Magnus I advise that you use it. I don't take shit from arrogant pricks like you. Besides there is nothing rough about my brandy I doubt you could procure anything near it in quality."

"Ladies please cut the crap. You might as well just drop your pants and get the comparison out of the way, cut the bullshit. I love a good pissing contest as much as the next soldier but I would like to get on the road." The small Avorian landed on her bosses' shoulder and gave Wardes the stink eye.

"I don't know what sort of creature this is but I agree with its words. We do not have time for this nonsense right now." He whistled once and his gryphon dove out of the clouds to land in front of him. HE then picked up Louise and made his way over to his mount. "You are still light as a feather my little Louise." He then mounted his gryphon with Louise sitting behind him. "Where is your horse familiar? Don't tell me you wanted to ride a noble's mount."

"As if I would want to ride your bird brained fleabag, my ride is right here." He gestured to the motorcycle."

"Do you really expect to try to keep up with me on some sort of peasant contraption?" Therum ignored the taunting and rolled the bike up next to the gryphon.

"Not at all my good sir, I intend to be the one setting the pace." Now sporting a helmet and a pair of sun glasses he started the bike with a roar that startled both Wardes and his gryphon. A few seconds later he was tearing down the road leaving a stunned Wardes and an amused Louise.

"I know he is not a noble but if you treat him with a little respect he becomes much easier to get along with. Also you might want to get going that thing is faster than you would think."

"I think that he just needs to be put into his place and learn how to respect his betters." With a couple mighty flaps the gryphon took to the air in hot pursuit of a disappearing motorcycle.

_'I'm not sure how many more surprises I can take today. First that stupid familiar teleports us to the palace without warning, then the princess gives us this mission, and finally Wardes shows up to reminding me of that engagement my parents set up all those years ago. If Wardes and Therum keep at it I am sure they are going to get into a fight and I don't know who will win. Therum is good but he doesn't seem to like killing if he can help it. While Wardes is a well known soldier who has fought in scores of conflicts I don't know if his magic is more powerful. I hope this mission works out alright.'_

_'I don't know who you are "Therum Magnus" but I will put you in your place. I do not take insult well especially when it comes from someone of such low birth. I have heard enough about his exploits to know that he isn't a pushover but he has yet to face someone of my caliber. If he tries to interfere with my plans I will kill him without remorse. Why is Louise carrying a sword when her familiar already has two?'_

Back down on the ground Therum sneezed slightly_. 'Someone must be saying nice things about me.'_

Like the rest of the roads he had seen this far, these were also remarkably well maintained for dirt roads. This allowed him to keep setting the pace for that stuck up asshole Wardes at about 60 MPH.

After about three hours he decided to stop the bike at the base of the mountains that he was going to have to go up to get to the town of La Rochelle. He took the rest time to "pull" a three gallon gas can out of the other saddle bag and top off his tank. As he was pouring the gasoline Wardes landed his gryphon in the same clearing where it proceeded to flop down in exhaustion.

"I'm sorry mate is the pace a bit too fast for your bird?"

"He is a gryphon not a bird you will show him the proper respect!"

"I might be able to manage that if you apologize to my friend Kistna for calling HER a creature and an 'it.' She is an intelligent sentient being and you will treat her as such."

"You cannot be serious. You expect me to give an apology to a lower being even if it is self aware?"

"You just asked me to treat your bird with respect why can't you offer the same treatment?"

"That gryphon is a majestic magical creature and a mage's familiar. That puts it above a simple commoner like you."

"You forget my friend that I am also a mage's familiar and I am a self aware highly skilled person. By your logic that means that I trump the gryphon in station because I am a much rarer type of familiar." Wardes had enough of the debating and drew his sword/wand.

"Enough of this, you will learn your place." Therum had also taken the opportunity to draw a sword. He chose Umbra because if this did escalate he was going to use the opportunity to spare Louise a life with this prick. Wardes was apparently magically sensitive enough to tell that the sword being pointed at him was not a simple steel blade.

"I'd rather not have to kill you sir but I will not let you attack me freely either."

Things would have likely become much nastier if a number of arrows hadn't chosen that time to come sailing through the air. The familiar decided to put his grudge on hold for the moment to protect his master and friend. From up the mountain a little way he was able to see about twenty men with assorted weapons hunkered down in the rocks. About a dozen of their group had bows and were the ones shooting at the group of travelers. He could feel the blood lust pulse in his sword just asking to be unleashed. The familiar runes on his hands were also glowing making him feel light and ready for a fight. Why not show the douche why you shouldn't mess with this swordsman.

Wardes found it hard to believe what he was watching. The familiar he was about to punish has taken off up the mountain to rush nearly two dozen armed men on his own at remarkable speeds. There was a flutter of wings that signaled that the tiny bird girl had also jumped into the fight or in this case flown. Wardes watched on hoping that one of the archers was going to get in a good hit, but any arrow that came close was cut out of the air with that strange sword. Before anyone, but the charging familiar, knew what was happening the first blood had been spilt. In a matter of minutes all of the robbers were lying on the ground in pieces. Some of their swords had been cleaved in half by the relentless advance of that blade that seemed to turn deeper shades of red as it killed. Kistna had even managed to deal some damage of her own with her sword while the idiots were watching her master. Once all of the bandits were dead, a blood covered Therum marched back down the side of the mountain straight towards Wardes and Louise. When he got close enough to where Wardes tried to extent his hand, he bunched the man square in the jaw.

"Feel free to help out next time. If you were not of significance to Louise you would be dead right now. I am going to put on a clean shirt when I get back I recommend you be ready to depart." He wiped the blood from his sword on Wardes' pant leg before he walked off.

"I recognize that sword he was using Wardes. He told me once that it gives the wielder the ability and an almost unstoppable desire to kill. I would try to treat my familiar like he wants to be because I think you owe those robbers your life."

"That is nonsense there is no sword that tries to force the wielder to kill people."

"I know you felt the aura that blade gave off. I have a talking thousands of year old sword myself, there is little about magical blades I won't believe anymore.

"You talking about me partner? I was just having the most wonderful dream about having a nice oiling. You think you could give me a good rub down later?"

"Nothing specific Derflinger I was just telling wards here not to under estimate Therum's red sword."

The sword rattled a bit in its scabbard. "That sword scares the crap out of me."

Around this time Therum returned from around the boulder he has used to change. His outfit looked the exact same as his other one only without all the blood. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Nothing at all I was just telling Wardes that we should try to hurry along to La Rochelle before it gets dark. I would rather not meet any more bandits at night is I can help it."

"That's the best idea I have heard all day. Let's roll out!"

***BREAK***

The rest of the trip continued without any further incidents. When they finally reached the port city Therum was mildly amazed that every building was carved out of a single huge stone. Even he had to admit that it was an impressive feat of magic to do something like that. He saw a shabby looking in that he assumed he was going to have to stay at until Wardes paraded his gryphon past it down the street to a much nicer place. The Goddess's Temple is one of those places you stay at just so you can spend a lot of extra money and tell people about it later. Therum steered his motorcycle into a dark alleyway nearby and shrunk it when nobody was looking. There is no way in hell that he was going to leave his precious Harley unguarded. Inside the inn Wardes was continuing to get on the other man's nerves.

"I insist that you let me pay for your room good sir familiar. It is the least I can do to thank you for taking care of those bandits."

"I suppose that you can pay for mine and Louise's rooms."

"I had imagined that you would get your own room while Louise and I share one. It only makes sense seeing as how she and I are already engaged."

"I'm afraid that I cannot abide by that arrangement. I am tasked with protecting her form any and all dangers. I don't know or like you, and where I come from there are many dangers that an older man can present to a young girl. You can either get a room that will fit three people or I will insist that Louise stay with me tonight as we already share quarters at the academy."

"My intentions are nothing but honorable towards my Louise. I merely wished to use this time to reconnect with her. Surely you can understand that."

"I will give you both a few hours of privacy but I will be nearby incase she needs me. I will also be in the room when she is asleep. You can either live with these terms or try and force me to reconsider. I would not advise the second course of action if I were you."

Thinking hard about what Louise said earlier, Wardes agreed to the familiar's terms reluctantly. He ordered a single room with two beds and a cot. As promised, Therum and Kistna left the couple alone to reconnect while they ran up a tab ordering dinner. _'That girl is tiny but I swear she can eat her own weight in food.'_ The girl in question was plenty content to sit right on the table and sample a little bit of everything Therum ordered. It's not like she is physically able to make much of a difference in his portions.

When he brought the other two up some dinner a couple hours later he could tell that Louise was deep in thought about something and more than a little flustered. She didn't seem to have been harmed so he would worry about the details later. Right now all he cared about was settling into his sad excuse for a bed. While the other two were eating before the lamp got turned out, Therum donated one of his two pillows to Kistna for a bed and a clean handkerchief as a blanket. It was crude but the though should count. The second order of business involved a little low key casting. He put a bad intention ward around his bed incase Wardes tried to kill him in the night. He put another ward around Louise's bed to keep any men away from it until dawn. The final spell he cast made the final bed in the room into a very lightly padded brick. It might be a little petty but he really didn't care. Tomorrow the real mission would begin and the lives of several people would likely change.

**A/N As you can probably tell I cut out the other three companions from this act because I couldn't work them in with the way I wanted this arc to go. I am also following closer to the novels with my story than the anime because I like the flow better. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: A Royal Mess**

"Good morning sunshine, did you sleep well?"

"Why are you waking me up so early you dumb familiar? The ship doesn't leave until tomorrow morning."

"It's part of the job. I wake up the nobles in the room at dawn."

"Your job is to wake up Louise, not all the nobles in the room."

"I only wake up Louise because she is usually the only noble around me in the morning. As far as I know my orders could logically extend to any noble. I will ask Louise later about the details of that issue later. Speaking of which, hey Louise it's time to wake up."

"Blarg, morning Therum what time is the ship leaving?

"According to Sir Wardes, it's not leaving until tomorrow. We have an entire day to burn here."

"Um if that's the case, I think I am going to sleep in this morning."

"Sure thing little master, I will wake you up again in a couple of hours. Would you like me to wake you again in a few hours as well Viscount?"

"That will not be necessary. The bed was unusually hard last night I think I will be better off if I just stay awake."

"Have it your way pal I just made the offer."

"Are you going to wake your little feathered friend as well?"

"She's a big girl that can take plenty good care of herself. If Louise is having a lie in this morning I don't see why I should bother Kistna either. See you later."

"That man is an annoying pain in the ass."

"I heard that!"

***BREAK***

"Familiar can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I am sure you are physically able to speak for that long but you only may talk with me if you can remember to address me by name." Wardes' stony expression faltered momentarily but be pressed on.

"Mister Magnus, you displayed some impressive swordsmanship yesterday against those bandits. I am not totally convinced though that you are the right man to be protecting Louise. Your actions are too rash and violent to protect the girl I asked to marry me last night. You will have to beat me in a duel if you wish to gain approval to continue living with her at the academy."

"That explains why she seemed so distracted last night. If you want a duel I'd be happy to give you one. Name the time and place. As the one being challenged, I get to name the terms."

"That sounds fair what are your terms?"

"How about this, anything nonlethal goes until one participant is rendered unable to continue or admits defeat? If I win you give up on marrying Louise and if you win I will give you the same respect and obedience that I give Louise."

"It's a duel sir; I will see you outside in two hours. I am going to love having you knowing your place."

***BREAK***

"Are you sure you have to do this you two?"

"He just wants to be sure that I am worth of protecting you considering the fact that I can't use magic."

"This is not what I wanted to do first thing after getting out of bed."

"I still think the two of you should just whip them out and put this whole mess behind you."

"I agree with the little lady, I think that there is a lot more to this issue than testing each other's qualifications. Maybe you should just compare your reproductive organs."

"Derf, Kistna, please drop it. We are just going to have a friendly sparing match this morning to kill some time while waiting for the ship tomorrow."

"I assure you my precious Louise I will not harm your familiar too badly."

"Whatever, you two do as you please." 'It's not him that I'm worried about anyway." "Begin the match."

Louise had become mildly familiar with Therum's dueling style through all of the training that they had been doing over the last few weeks. She could tell right away that this match was not going to be like those matches. He had taken up a similar stance to the one he had taken against Agnes. He was going into this fight expecting real resistance. At least he was not using that terrible sword, and was only fighting with Aurora. Wardes was also moving into a strong defensive position. He had seen just how fearsome this familiar could be in a fight and he was not taking any chances. His movements had been a bit wild and overly gruesome, but there was definitely some skill there. The only problem with his analysis from yesterday was that it was taken after the familiar had partially given into the blood lust and not when he is in full control. That was nowhere near an accurate representation of how his opponent normally fights.

Slowly losing interest in sizing up his opponent, the mage familiar decided to make the first move against his opponent with a slow and overpowered overhead swipe. As expected Wardes chose to dodge the attack with greater than natural speed, he tried the same tactic from a few more angles before Wardes finally made a return move. Thinking that he was up against a novice swordsman Wardes moved in with a serried of fast jabs and swipes to try and throw the younger man off balance. Each of his attacks was easily parried with almost lazy looking movements. As his attacks were constantly being parried, Wardes slowly began to lose his cool and threw more and more power into each attack until Therum was showing obvious effort in having to defend his self. One thing that Wardes failed to notice in his onslaught was the numerous nicks and gashes appearing along the length of his sword wand. A weapon Like Wardes' is designed to be a wand first and a sword second. Therum's sword on the other hand was designed to be the ultimate defensive weapon, where the best defense is a good offence. Like its sister sword, to a lesser extent, Aurora is enchanted to cut through any offending weapon not magically enchanted to resist such actions. It is only the inherent enchantments and the quality of the metal that has kept the sword/wand in action to his point.

Finally Wardes grew angry with his lack of progress in finding a weakness in his opponent's sword style. It was a very simple technique that seemed to rely on a mixture of strength and precision as opposed to variety of attacks. It limited the offensive potential against another sword master like himself but made for an outstanding defense. Realizing this he started chanting under his breath until he was able to back away and cast his 'air hammer' spell. The spell lives up to its name perfectly it was literally a compressed block of air thrown at a target at high speed. He was so confident that this was going to be a game ender that he allowed his defense to relax, a mistake that he was unlikely to make again. Instead of sending the troublesome familiar flying, he cut through the spell with his sword and made a very fast overhead attack upon Wardes. The latter barely had enough time to raise his sword to meet the attack. The weakened structure of his weapon could no longer take the abuse and snapped in two where the heavier blade met it. This left Wardes looking down the end of a still immaculately sharp sword with nothing to defend himself with.

"Do you yield sir knight?"

"It looks as if I have no choice sir familiar. My sword seems to have been of inferior quality."

"Don't feel bad I spent three months forging this blade with the enchanter to see that it is the finest blade in existence. I am not surprised that your own weapon was unable to withstand its power."

"That sounds like quite the weapon. Would you mind if I took a look at it?"

"That depends, how much do you value your sword arm?" At the looks of disdain from Wardes and horror from Louise he decided to explain a little more. "There is a security device built into both of these weapons. If anyone but me tries to mess with them they will receive a nasty shock. They are tied to me by my blood and even gloves will not easily fool them."

"Are you telling me that the one who enchanted those for you not only knew blood magic the most corrupted form of water magic, but you willingly let them cast it upon your weapons?"

"Sure why not it is the easiest and most foolproof way to secure something you don't want other people to mess with. Magic is magic to me."

"Spoken like a true ignorant commoner. If you will excuse me I seem to be in need of another sword." Wardes stomped off to the tiny weapons shop located at the edge of town they passed yesterday.

"Damn boss those were some fancy moves you had there."

"Thank you Kistna, he is a very good sword master. If he had come at me with a decent enchanted sword, I might have been in real trouble. I am pretty sure that he is slightly better than I am."

"You made it look so easy though how can you say that he is better than you?"

"I felt an influence from both the runes and the sword. When I am on defense the sword will augment the user to help keep him from harm just like the other one will improve your ability when attaching. They are two sides of the same coin."

"You told him that the person who enchanted that sword cast blood magic on it. Didn't you tell me that you are the one who enchanted that sword?"

"Yes I am the one who made the sword from start to finish. Forging blades and enchanting are somewhat of a hobby for me. Why else would I have so many magical blades?"

"That means that you can use blood magic then! That is a really evil form of magic Therum. If anyone else were to find out you could be thrown in prison for practicing it."

"Magic is a form of knowledge. No knowledge is inherently evil there is only evil intent for how you choose to use it. For example I am teaching you to use a sword. Those robbers wielded swords yesterday and have probably used them to kill innocent travelers. That doesn't mean that all sword users are going to do that does it?"

"No I would never do something like that and I don't think you would either."

"Exactly, the same thing is true of magic. Just about any spell can be used for as much good as bad. I am teaching you the summoning spell for mundane objects, with a little more work the same spell could be used to summon people over the edge of that cliff there. It is all about your intent."

"I think I understand what you are saying, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"If it makes you feel any better milady, I only use blood as a security device when enchanting. I would never do something like turning all of someone's blood into acid or something. Let's go grab some lunch." He walked away leaving the two girls in more than mild confusion at his words.

"Do you thing that he can really do something like that?"

"Are you sure that you want to know that information?"

"I agree with your partner, Partner no weapon or magic spell is all good or all evil things are almost always a shade of grey."

"Good point, but I am allowed to not like things that go against my beliefs. Let's get going before he has lunch without us." Louise took off running after her familiar while Kistna opted to stretch her wings a bit.

***BREAK***

The rest of their off day was spent between touring around the little town and resting for the likely difficult travels ahead. Therum spent much of his time looking around the various shops and stalls scattered around the town. Despite its small population, the town of La Rochelle is able to boast a number of very well stocked shops due to its status as a port city. One store of particular interest to Therum is the same one that Wardes ran off to earlier. When he entered the shop with Louise and Kistna in tow they found Wardes sitting in a corner of the shop just looking at his battered weapon. The man looked slightly like a child who had a favorite toy taken away. Louise went over to talk to him in an attempt to ease his battered pride. Therum ignored the man as best he could in order to keep himself from doing anything that might upset the girl. Instead he kept himself entertained by looking at a collection of those sword/ wands the nobility seemed to like so much. They were basically a big fat blunt rapier with a magical focus in the center. A decent idea if you relied on a want to use magic but nearly useless if you run out of mana to make the blade sharp. You would be much better off working a focal device into the hilt of a proper sword instead. Sure you lose a little bit of effectiveness but you don't lose having a reliable backup weapon. He let his opinion know with a loud scoff as he put the weapon back on the rack

"Any luck finding a decent replacement for your sword Wardes?"

"I am just waiting on the earth enchanter to finish reinforcing the blade properly this time. I don't want to have another mishap with poor workmanship."

"May I look at that weapon for a minute?" Wardes reluctantly handed the two pieces of the weapon to the other man. Therum accepted the pieces and studied the remains carefully inspecting the blade from every random angle possible. "This was a fine weapon sir, it was just outclassed. My sword is very heavily enchanted against damage or dulling it takes a similar weapon to stand up to the offence. It is also several times heavier than yours even with the light metal it was made from.. These factors combined with each other to cause the failure of your weapon. I guess you could say that you lost to the sword not the wielder."

"Didn't you also say that there is blood magic in that weapon?"

"That I did and I will tell you the same thing I told Louise earlier. No magic is inherently evil so I will continue to use this sword even if an element or two of it are considered taboo."

"I was actually going to ask if you could get me in tough with the one who did the enchanting. I would like to ask him a few questions."

"Nope."

"What do you mean no? Are you saying that you won't tell me where to find this person to keep me from knowing their secretes?"

"Not really, I am declining you request for three reasons. First the person is from my homeland where I am currently not, second I don't like you, and third I am not going to tell a palace guard where to find a practitioner of a restricted art. Mostly the first and second parts though."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a very troublesome individual?"

"Daily," Therum left the shop with a smile on his face.

***BREAK***

Without the familiar there to grind on his nerves Wardes was able to collect his new sword right around dusk and make it back to the tavern in time to join the others for dinner. The other three were already eating when he arrived so he quickly placed an order and joined them. The meal was a subdued affair with relatively little chatter taking place. At the end of dinner Therum pulled a small bottle of brandy out of his satchel and offered some to each of the people at the table. Filling Kistna's custom mug was a challenge all in its own.

"I want to offer a toast to our fine group may our mission go smoothly tomorrow." Each person raised their glass to the others and accepted the toast. The small Avorian was forced to hover to take part in the festivities and Wardes fought back a scowl. He had to admit that this was some of the finest brandy he ever had even as a noble. Just as they were finishing the toast the front of the building caved in on itself thanks to the presence of a large stone fist. Acting on instinct Therum grabbed Louise and shielded her from the debris as best he could.

_'If I ever meet Murphy I am going to kill that bastard.'_ "Wardes you know I don't like you but I need you to get both girls out of here right now. Louise, Kistna, go with him and do as he says. I'll meet up with you at the ship as soon as I can, if things get too bad leave without me."

"I will protect them on my honor as a captain in Her Majesty's mage guard."

"You better. If any harm comes to either of them you will pray to whatever higher power you believe in that you had stayed with the golem. Now get out of here!"

Wardes ran out the back entrance with Louise by the arm and Kistna flying in close pursuit. Therum unsheathed both of his swords and advanced towards the destroyed stone entrance. He moved Umbra into his right hand while Aurora took on its shield form such as these weapons were best suited to be used together. Judgment offered in one hand salvation in the other. Outside the Inn was an all too familiar sight. The form of Fouquet was clearly visible atop another of her giant golems.

"Aren't you supposed to be in jail?"

"I was until a secret benefactor decided I was eligible for an early parole. All I have to do is take care of the pesky swordsman that is becoming a thorn in his side."

Noticing a number of rouges closing in on him from around the feet of the Golem Therum decided that he needed to end this conflict quickly before any innocent got seriously hurt in the cross fire. Thinking quickly he sheathed Umbra and drew his revolver. Remembering how she was defeated last time the golem master was not interested in letting the same folly happen twice. She summoned a shield from the construct's shoulder to protect herself before instructing the golem and her mercenaries to kill the man. Realizing that his bullets had little chance of stopping the stone construct or getting to the mage on it he unloaded the gun into six of the attacking bandits before switching back to the sword. Alternating between dodging the blows from the golem and blocking arrows from the bandits, he was able to move in close enough to dispatch the rest of the thugs from close range leaving only the golem to deal with.

"My my aren't you the quick one. Still it's no matter the stone in this area has made my golem much stronger than before and you can't dodge it forever."

"I'll give you one last chance to surrender yourself peacefully."

"You are a bigger fool than I thought if you think you are in any position to order me about. An ignorant commoner like you doesn't stand a chance against my stone golem."

"I knew you'd say that, prepare to be judged then." Having Aurora revert to its natural form he sheathed the blade and started chanting while still avoiding the damn rock monster. As he chanted energy began to arc off his weapon as the blade began to glow red. If the wielder is not in immediate need of the energy the blade absorbs from those it fells, it stores it for later use. This makes the bloodlust that much stronger in the blade but it allows for a ready supply of offensive energy in a time of need. This energy is what the Battle Mage was preparing to unleash. Too late Fouquet realized that she might be in trouble as her advisory finished his chant and looked up at her with glowing red eyes visible even from her high vantage point. She realized at that instant that this man was not just some commoner, he is a mage! The next and last thing she ever saw was a solid beam of blood red energy engulfs the side if the golem she was standing on. Nothing the beam hit remained as it turned into a deafening explosion on impact leaving nothing of the golem but rubble. He barely held onto his consciousness as he saw a ship sail off into the night. Using the last of his energy he ported himself into where he imagined the cargo hold of the ship would be before succumbing to a much needed nap.

**A/N Sorry to leave you all in a cliff hanger with such a short chapter but I really wanted to keep up the theme of ending the chapter with one of the main protagonists falling asleep. The exciting conclusion to this story arc should be up sometime in the next few days. What I want to do in the next chapter with one event isn't something I can personally recall happening in another fic I hope y'all like it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: 300 did you say?**

"I can't believe we just left him like that to fight that golem alone"

"It is what he wanted. He gave up his own life to make sure that the mission for Tristain would be a success."

"First off I know he isn't dead! He wouldn't let himself get beaten like that so easily. Second he didn't stay back for the mission or for the country. He did it so that we wouldn't be hurt."

Wardes was about to cut in with some sort of remark when a loud explosion caught the attention of the crew back on the cliff side. It was too far away to see a clear view of what caused it or exactly what happened, but everyone aboard the ship could tell that anyone caught up in that blast was likely to be in a world of hurt. _'It would seem that the familiar has likely met his match this time. I wasn't aware that there was a high rank fire mage in the area though.'_

"He's still alright you know Louise."

"How can you be sure? Did you see that explosion? I have never seen him cast magic like that."

"You and I both have a bond with him. That would tell us if something completely terrible happened to him. You should just go to sleep, things will be better tomorrow when we get to Albion."

"Thanks Kistna, you're alright when you aren't terrorizing me. "

"Just don't tell Therum when he gets back. I have a reputation to protect after all."

***BREAK***

The following day Therum is awakened from his coma of a nap by the sound of a cannon going off nearby. A few minutes later as he is trying to get his bearings in the dark store room, a group of heavily armed men barge in. Before long they notice the strange armed man sitting on a crate.

"Look here boss, it looks like we got us a stowaway."

"Remove his weapons and put him with the rest of the prisoners."

"Are you the captain of this ship, because I swear I paid my passage."

"I am a pirate here for this shipment. If you behave yourself we won't have to rough you up any. And you can go free when we ransom the rest of the prisoners."

"Have you seen a haughty little pink haired girl, a foul mouthed bird girl and an annoying nobleman in a hat?" The Boss seemed to think for a moment.

"Yes I am sure I saw a group like that when we were moving people into our prison holds. I can assure you they are just fine as long as you don't do anything foolish."

"I'll come peacefully if you promise to take me to them." He removed his swords and his pistol from his person and tucked them into a nearby sulfur crate that was apparently going to this guy's ship. "I wouldn't touch those swords if I was you though, they don't really like strangers."

After he was securely tied up one of the pirate underlings went over to his weapons. "Seems like a waste to leave such a fine looking blade to rust alone like this, I'll just look after it for you then." Therum smirked openly as the pirate took hold of the hilt of the sword and was blasted to the far end of the hold by the following bolt of electricity.

"I warned you lads, they don't like strangers. Try the other one it's even friendlier!" The Pirate gave an analytical look to both the stranger and his man twitching on the hold floor.

"Leave them alone for now and just move the cargo we can figure out the toys later."

***BREAK***

"What a fine situation we're in now. How do you plan to fix this mister mighty Mage Captain? Can't you blow a hole in the side of the ship and float us down to safety?"

"It doesn't work like that you little fool. I can hardly do any magic at all without a wand and I spent a lot of power charging the wind stones so we could leave earlier. Even if I could where would we go? If you remember we were off the coast of a floating island."

"I bet Therum would be able to figure out a way to escape."

"What would that idiot do cut down and entire war ship with his little swords? He is lying in a crumpled heap back in Tristain if he is even alive at all. He is definitely not going to come to your rescue aboard this ship." Sometime during the tirade a guard showed up outside the trio's cell.

"The Captain would like to talk to you three. Come with me and don't try any funny business."

***BREAK***

The pirate Guard led the group up to a luxurious cabin off the main deck of the ship. The cabin and the Captain were not what the travelers were expecting on a pirate ship. The cabin had a grand dining table in it stacked with an assortment of fine looking food. At the end of the table was a surprisingly well dressed man holding a cane with a large crystal on the top. Apparently this man was also a noble at some point in his life.

"Kneel before the boss and show a little respect you brat!" Louise remained standing with a fierce look of resentment on her face. "I said kneel."

The pirate was about to kick Louise down before the pirate captain interfered. "She is no little girl my friend. She has clearly shown that she is a spirited young woman."

"I demand that my party and I be treated like ambassadors. We are here on official Royal business."

"Did you say Royal? I am afraid that you are sadly mistaken miss. This is a pirate ship; the royal family will be gone tomorrow so your demand holds little weight here."

"I, Louise Francois le blanch de la Vallière, have an important message from the Crown Princess of Tristain that I have to deliver to Prince Wales of Albion."

"Sorry to disappoint you but I am afraid that that is going to be quite impossible in your current position. I don't think you will ever make it to land again unless you are willing to forget your mission and deliver that message to me instead."

"I would rather die first than betray Princess Henrietta to a bunch of mangy pirates like you!"

"Is that your final answer? I will not ask you again." The small group was now staring down the end of the captain's cane as it started to glow slightly." Apparently this guy was a mage of some sort too.

"You heard her you dumbass none of us are going to cower to traitorous filth like you."

"Don't you have quite the mouth on you little one? Tristain sends the most interesting of nobles as their messengers to a battle field. Who are you then Sir this girl's tutor or something?"

"I am Viscount Wardes the captain of Her Majesties mage guard, and this young woman's fiancé."

"I seem to have collected myself quite the interesting group of guests then. I suppose that I should go ahead and introduce myself properly." The Captain removed a curly black wig, his eye patch, and a fake beard, to reveal his blonde hair and young aristocratic features. "I am Wales Tudor Crown Prince of Albion. I welcome you aboard the last remaining ship in the Royal Navy 'The Eagle.' Shall we now discuss this message you have for me?"

"How can I be sure that you are really the prince and not just another imposter?"

"You are quite the clever girl and I respect that. Will the Wind Ruby of the royal family be enough proof for you?" Wales extended his hand with the ring on it towards Louise. When the ring got close enough to the one from Henrietta on Louise's hand they started shining to produce a rainbow.

"I am so sorry for my previous words Your Majesty, if I had known it was you I would not have spoken so harshly to you."

"Off your knees Miss Vallière, I hold no ill will towards you. I had to be sure that you were completely loyal to the Royal Families. A new friend of mine already told me how you would likely react I just had to be sure myself. His story was quite a remarkable one. Speaking of which, why don't you join us now Sir Magnus?" A familiar figure stepped out from behind a curtain at the end of the cabin.

"I told you she's a feisty one and the littler one has one hell of a mouth."

Louise had to fight very hard against an equal desire to cry for joy and faint. Eventually the tears won out as she rushed to embrace her troublesome familiar. "I was so worried that you would have been badly hurt by that awful woman. What did you do to get away from her?"

"I agree mister familiar, do regale us with you epic tale of heroism." Wardes was doing a very poor job of hiding his sarcasm and hot fury at having to deal with this guy again.

"There will be time for story telling later right now Louise has a letter to deliver and we have a small feast to tuck into. I for one…" The rest of his speech was cut off by a dose of winged fury.

"You stupid fool, how am I supposed to help you in tough situations when you keep running off to fight without me? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? If I had my sword right now I would kill you myself and end my troubles."

"Has anyone ever told you that you have one hell of a left hook for such a small girl?" Despite her only being around a foot tall the little Avorian left the man rubbing his jaw where she hit him.

"We Avorians have always been stronger than our human counterparts. Now if you will excuse me, I am starving."

Wales ignored the commotion around him as he read the letter he had received from Louise. The letter seemed to fill the prince with a mixture of joy and sorrow. Eventually he folded the letter again and put it into his breast pocket. "I was going to have your wands and weapons returned to you all but after that commotion, I think I'll just give them back when we get to Newcastle. We can deal with the rest of the official business then too."

***BREAK***

The remainder of the trip passed fairly uneventfully. The most exciting part of the final stretch was when The Eagle was forced to dive under the continent itself in order to avoid unwanted attention from the rebel flagship the Lexington. Even someone as crazy as Therum doubted that they would survive a head on confrontation with a ship like that. Fortunately those that manned their ship were truly expert sailors. They near effortlessly guided the continent around any obstacles into a secret port on the underside of the continent that the Rebels apparently had never discovered. There was a small procession on the docks to greet the royal Frigate. The leader of the group was a very old looking mage.

"I trust you had some great success Your Majesty?"

"Indeed we did Paris; rejoice we now have plenty of sulfur for the honor guard!"

"Sulfur will make little difference at this point milord but when those cur attack tomorrow we will show them what happens when you back us into a corner."

"Indeed it will be a glorious death tomorrow. With our dying breath we will put their soldiers to great shame."

"Who are these people you have with you Sire?"

"These are valiant ambassadors from Tristain; she comes on important business from my cousin Henrietta. "

The old man gave Louise and the others a small sad smile. "So you are an ambassador. Paris Chamberlain at your service, madam. It's nice that you came all the way to Albion. Though it might not be much, we will have a small feast tonight. We would be honored if you would attend."

"It would be our honor to attend your farewell feast good sir." Much to Louise's shock, Therum actually gave an elegant bow to the aged man."

***BREAK***

From the dock the Tristain group followed Wales up the flights of stairs into the castle proper. Wales' room was located off towards the kitchens. The first thing that struck Louise was his room was surprisingly Spartan. Other than a bed, a desk and a table with a couple of chairs, the room was almost completely empty. The only decorative thing in the room seemed to be a small ornate lockbox that Wales went over to. He removed a necklace from around his neck and opened the small box. There were only two things inside the box, a portrait of Henrietta, and a single piece of folded paper. The paper looked extremely worn from what probably amounted to scores of readthroughs. Wales read both the letter he got from Louise and the one in the box once before sighing slightly and putting the two in an envelope.

"This is definitely the letter you came for Miss Vallière. I will trust you to see it safely back to Henrietta tomorrow. The Eagle will take you and anyone who wishes to leave back to Tristain tomorrow."

"What was in that letter that was so important that it couldn't have just been burnt? You act as if it contained a proclamation of love." Wales looked away slightly at the other man's observation. "That's it isn't it? The two of you have a relationship that goes far deeper than any political or family bonds don't you."

"If you are asking if Henrietta and I have a romantic relationship with each other then I feel that I can let it be known that we do indeed have such a bond. We have never come public with it because of the troubled times we live in and the controversy our relationship may bring up."

"How closely related are the two of you?"

"We are third cousins. We are distant enough that there would not likely be any problems with children if we had ever gotten as far as consummation, but close enough that some would still frown upon us." Therum took one of the chairs and sat in quiet contemplation.

"Won't you come back with us? Surely there is something in the letter the princess sent you that asks you to do that. Love has to be worth more than staying to fight a useless battle."

"I am sorry Louise but on my honor there is nothing in that letter that asks such of me. Henrietta is a leader first and a woman second. She would never ask me to abandon my country in its final hours."

"Surely there is more to the letter than that she must have at least implied that she would rather you live with her."

"I am afraid that there is no such passage. Even if there were I could not in good conscience step foot on Tristain soil. That would be all the excuse the rebels would need to invade Tristain with all the might of the former Albion Air force. They may not be the sailors that my men are but they have more than enough fire power to make up for it. Tomorrow my remaining army of 300 soldiers and I will do all that we can to inflict damage upon their forces. We will hold them off while the rest of you make it to safety."

"You are a true noble sir, if the circumstances were different I would be proud to stand at your side and do battle tomorrow. My place, however, is with Louise so I will only be able to offer my best wishes to you."

"Thank you Sir Magnus, it appears as if it is time for our little party let us be off before Paris drinks all the best wine."

"Prince Wales may I make a request of you?" Wardes leaned in and whispered something into the prince's ear.

"That is a marvelous idea I would be honored to assist."

***BREAK***

The party was a final affair that anyone would be proud to have been a part of. Despite the finality of what was likely to happen tomorrow people were putting on a very grand show.

"Truly these are the bravest people in the world. They know they are going to die tomorrow yet choose to not let it bother them."

"It is not courage it is foolishness. Why waste the energy and effort on this elaborate show if it will all be wasted tomorrow."

"I am surprised to hear something like that come out of your mouth Sir Wardes. There is nothing foolish going on at all! Look at how the soldiers laugh and joke with the prince and old king. It is a thing of beauty. There is no prouder death than a free man defending his home and country from an invading force."

"You almost sound as if you pity the rebels."

"In a way I do. The men and women here will be fighting tomorrow for not only their lives, but their hopes, dreams, and beliefs. The other side only seems to be fighting for power and control. They will be victorious tomorrow of that there is little doubt, but it will be a very costly battle. One man defending his home is worth ten hired soldiers."

Louise was also having an interesting time at the party. Nobody seemed sad about their fate tomorrow. In fact they seemed to have few cares at all this night most of them were more interested in having the ambassador try a particular fine wine or a specialty dish of Albion. In truth, it was all too much for Louise. She could not help but notice that the whole thing was a big act the people's faces seemed cheerful but their eyes told a different story. She could see sorrow in their eyes. There was no fear for the following day, just sorrow that their way of life was coming to such a violent end. Eventually it all became too much and she was about to dash out of the ballroom until she heard a familiar tune. Over by the musicians her familiar had somehow got his hands on a fiddle and was once again playing his fast paced songs.

Understand what the familiar was trying to do the prince went over to Louise. "Might I have this dance lovely lady? I am sure your fiancé won't mind me having just one."

"Um, of course Your Majesty."

"Please call me Wales, there is no place for formalities on a night like tonight," he said as the two began to dance.

The party lasted a few more hours as Therum continued to lead the band through a number of upbeat songs. Slowly but surely, the people began to trickle off to get some rest before the battle the next day. Once he was done with his playing, Therum began to head over to where Wardes was leading Louise towards their chambers. Despite his best efforts, he was only able to get the room next to theirs instead of a bed in the same room. He almost made it to the pair before he was intercepted by the prince. Not being able to get away quickly, he sent an ED spell at Wardes. Not only would it keep his master's virtue safe, it was fun to mess with that ass.

"You play marvelously Sir Magnus, what songs were those you played?"

"They are folk songs from my homeland. From my experience, the people in this land seem to enjoy them pretty well too."

"I find myself in agreement with that statement. If I had more time I would get you to teach them to be. Alas there is another more pressing matter that I wished to talk to you about if you don't mind accompanying me to a slightly more private location. We can talk as we walk."

"I would be glad to talk with you Sir Wales."

"I was asked by Wales to perform a wedding ceremony tomorrow between Sir Wardes and Miss Vallière. Since her father is not going to be here, I was hoping that you might be willing to step in and give the girl away."

"I would be glad to do this service for Louise. I can't help but notice the irony in this request though. As her familiar, I technically belong to Louise so my giving her away is mildly humorous."

"I agree that is a humorous twist but I am glad that I have your cooperation. I have one final favor to ask of you if I might."

"Name it."

"I would like you to give this ring to Henrietta when you return to Tristain. I would also like you to tell her that I fought bravely and died with the honor of my country intact."

"I will do that for you if you're willing to do a small favor for me. I would like you to wear this necklace for her." Therum removed one of the two chains from around his neck and handed it to the prince. "That is known as a chain of fate. It is said to help men make their own fate in life and in death."

"I cannot possibly take such an artifact from you. It would be wasted on a dead man like me."

"On the contrary, it is exactly what a man like you needs. Besides they come in pairs. I still have the one that is special to me," he said as he showed Wales the chain with the locket on it. "If you don't wear it I will tell Henrietta that you could have easily chosen to fake your death and returned to her."

"You wouldn't dare do such a thing to a beautiful flower like her."

"You aren't the only one who cares for that girl. If I had a reason to think that you caused her as much pain as your death is going to without doing everything in your power prevent that, I would kill you myself."

"I am glad that you are not among my enemies. I will wear the necklace to appease you and save my love from further heartache. I hope you take care of her when I am gone."

"We are not romantic like that I assure you."

"I believe you my friend, but your words are not those of a casual friend. Part of being a prince is the ability to read people; I can see what even you might have overlooked."

"My last relationship didn't end much better than yours is about to. I bid you a good night Wales Tudor."

***BREAK***

Later that night after Louise had fallen asleep; Therum was stirred from his meditation by a knock at his door.

"Mister Magnus are you still awake?"

"Yes Wardes I am still awake you may enter."

"I just got through with a final meeting with Prince Wales. He told me that you have agreed to stand in for Louise's father tomorrow at the ceremony. I felt that I should try to end some of the animosity between the two of us."

"That is very commendable of you Viscount. Does this mean that you will give me at least the minimum amount of respect I have no doubt earned from you?"

"Yes I will admit that while you are not a noble, you are not truly a commoner either. If my Louise sees fit to call you by your given name I feel that I should do the same. I would offer a toast to what will likely be a very long term partnership for the protection of that girl." Wardes produced a bottle of wine and two metal cups from his satchel. He then opened the bottle and poured two full servings.

"To Louise," they said in unison. Therum waited for Wardes to drink a sizable portion of his glass before deciding that it was safe to drink. After that he happily drank the whole glass. Few people know it but the familiar is a bit of a wine snob and this was a particularly good bottle.

"I just want you to know Mister Magnus, I will never be your ally and you will not live long enough regret making a fool of me. The poison in this drink is one of the strongest known to man I would be with you on the floor if I had not drunk the antidote outside your door." The next thing Therum saw was blackness. Wardes signaled to two hooded men who were waiting in the corridor. "Hide the body somewhere it will not be found until after the battle tomorrow. Try not to touch those swords of his, I hear they are cursed for anyone but him. "

***BREAK***

"There you are Wardes I was afraid you were going to miss your own wedding. Have you seen Sir Magnus? He was supposed to be here to give Louise away during the ceremony."

"I ran into him on my way here, he said that he could not bear the pain of having to give Louise away. He intends to go with the ship to offer it protection and then meet up with us back in Tristain."

"I can't believe he would just abandon me like that."

"What about me? I work for him and he didn't tell me anything either. Sure I passed out during the party and spent the night in one of the decorative plants. That still doesn't mean I like being left out of the loop."

Louise was so distracted with her own thoughts that she failed to catch the rest of Kistna's rant or most of the ceremony for that matter. She kept reliving the last couple months of her life over and over again trying to figure out how she got to this point. She was finally snapped out of her trance like thoughts when Wales reached the final part of the ceremony.

"Bridegroom, Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. Do you take this girl as your wife, and swear to respect and love her in the name of the Founder Brimir?"

"I swear by the founder."

"Bride, the third daughter of the Duke de La Vallière, Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière, do you take this man as your husband, and swear to respect and love him in the name of the Founder Brimir?"

Louise didn't know what to say right then. She knew that this is what she should want but for some reason she knew this was the wrong thing to do right now. "I am sorry Your Majesty and I am sorry Wales, but I cannot go through with this."

"Louise you cannot be serious. Are you sure that you know what you're doing?"

"No Wardes I do not know what I am doing right now but I know it is the right thing to do."

"That saddens me greatly to hear Louise. After I worked so hard to capture your heart you still reject me. I suppose I will just have to give up on this goal for the time being. I will still be able to complete two of my goals today though." Faster than either of them could react, Wardes took his sword and put it through the heart of the prince.

"Damn you Reconquista…" The prince had been just a little too slow in his incantation to stop his own demise.

"Wardes, what is wrong with you how could you do such a traitorous act?"

"I am a member of Albion's noble faction, Reconquista. Halkeginia will be reunited into one by our hands; we will restore the Founder Brimir's 'Sacred Land' once again. I can't have either of you spilling our secretes so it is with a heavy heart that I must dispatch you both." Wardes made to cast one of his favorite spells, Lightning Cloud when the chapel door exploded inwards. Standing there was the last person Wardes ever expected to see again. Acting on impulse, he sent the finished spell towards a very pissed off Therum Magnus. Instead of making an effort to dodge the attack or block it with his sword, Therum just extended his hand and took the full force of the blast.

"Thanks for the recharge mate; my batteries were nearly drained riding my system of that poison."

"I don't get it how can you possibly be alive now? Even if you magically found a way to overcome my poison, that attack should have killed you several times over."

"Once you rule out the impossible Wardes, whatever you are left with no matter how improbable is likely the truth. So I say to you, think back hard on all the things that have happened since we met and tell me what you think." Therum removed a small glass container from his pouch and drank the blue liquid it contained. Almost immediately he stood a little taller and his uncharacteristically pale face regained its color.

At the same time Wardes realized what his pride had been forcing him to over look and his face paled considerably. "You are a noble aren't you?"

"Half right, I am well versed in Arcanum. I am not nobility though. I am about to painfully kill a noble for threatening my master and my familiar though. Do you have any last words Wardes?"

"If I might know, how did you survive the poison?"

"I owe my life to my precious sword Aurora, as long as I have a decent supply of mana in my blood and this sword with me, I am almost impossible to kill. The sword noticed the dangerous impurity in my blood and used my magic to essentially destroy and replace all the infected blood and tissue. If you had tried to poison me the night I blew up that golem, you probably would have won doe to me being so badly depleted. Enough of that for now, my name is Therum Magnus, you harmed my friends prepare to die."

"Ubiquitous Dell Wind!" Suddenly there were four more Wardes to deal with.

"So you know how to cast an illusion spell, I am not impressed."

"It is much more than an illusion Sir, each of these replicas has substantial power as well."

"If that is how you want it then, how about I even up the score?" He reached into his bag and removed four shrunken swords before enlarging them and sticking each one effortlessly into the floor. He then cast a fairly lengthy incantation that created four copies of his self to match his opponent's duplicates. Each of the duplicates in turn took up one of the swords and marched off to do battle with their own opponent. Pretty soon the chapel was filled with the sound of battle as each of the clones fought each other. In the end the only ones left unattended were the girls and the two mage knights.

"That is quite the display of magic there sir familiar, I did not know you were a square class wind mage as well. I am especially impressed that you did all that with one of those swords as a focus."

"I'm not a wind mage and I did not use a focus. I am something far worse for your wellbeing. I am a very pissed off Venenatus knight. I am not even going to use a sword to kill you just to make sure there isn't another fluke." In one of his free hands appeared what looked to be a rolled up whip made of pure fire. "This is a spell was taught to me by another Venenatus knight. She trained alongside me for three years before her untimely death. I am going to slowly kill you with this in her memory.

Wardes was barely able to dodge the first strike from the fire whip. It came so close to scoring his face that the brim of his hat was smoking. Not thinking straight, he cast Lightning Cloud at his opponent again. The outcome was the same as it was last time. Therum caught the blast in his hand, but instead of absorbing it he cycled it through his body and cracked the bolt out the end of the whip at one of the Wardes clones. Apparently Wardes and his clones are not as lightning proof as Therum because it dispersed into nothing after being struck. This freed up an extra ally for Therum's other copies but cost him a lot of concentration so he took a glancing blow from a Breaking Wind attack. The familiar was pretty sure that his left arm was sprained if not broken.

Louise and Kistna were huddled in a corner watching the battle take place between the two titans. Through one event or another, there was only one copy of each left with the two originals still trading spell fire with the other. That fire whip that he was using would have any decent fire mage salivating at the mere thought of mastering it. Wardes was having a hard time dealing with the attacks from the whip. His wind spells seem capable of blocking and disrupting the flow of fire enough to keep from being burnt, but since that one lucky shot he was unable to go on the offensive. The worst part was that he seemed to be running low on willpower with the continuous casting. If he didn't think of something quickly, he was going to be in trouble.

Suddenly he felt a tickle in his magic senses that told him that the last of his clones had been defeated meaning that there was the probability of two opponents coming after him. The distraction was all that his opponent needed to make his move. With an expert flick of the whip Therum caught Wardes' sword and sent it flying across the room. Wardes thought he was finally done for as he watched the searing flamed coming after him when they suddenly vanished inches from his face. It would appear that his opponent had also run out of reserves. Not surprising considering he had been constantly supplying a magical flame for nearly twenty minutes. Thinking as quickly as possible, Wardes seized one of the swords that the other cloned had dropped hoping that it was not rigged like the others his opponent carried. Not caring about keeping things fair, Therum picked up one of the other discarded blades and rushed in to meet his adversary.

Therum knew that he needed to figure out a way to end this battle quickly. With only one working arm and not much but a tiny puddle of his mana reserves, he was likely to be in trouble soon. Wardes was mildly his better at swordplay when he was fresh. Now that he was wielding such a heavy sword with one hand, things did not look good for the familiar. Wardes seemed to know that he had gained the advantage too because he attacked like a daemon. His form had deteriorated significantly from the duel but there was more than enough force to make up for it. If only his other arm weren't injured he could have drawn his other sword to use as a shield. The only thing keeping the tired familiar on his feet was the Gandálfr runes. Finally the inevitable happened and he was disarmed. Wardes made to go in for the kill when he was hit with one of his favorite 'Breaking Wind' spells from behind, sending him flying into a nearby pillar.

"It's about time you got the hell up Your Highness I hope we didn't interrupt your beauty sleep."

"I am rather thankful that this sleep was interrupted sir. I do believe that I owe you my life." He chuckled mildly as he looked at the broken chain in his hand. "Chain of Fate indeed."

"Did I say chain of fate? Silly me I meant to say change of fate. Those things are designed to heal a man of any single fatal wound short of beheading."

"Louise did you want to say anything to your ex-fiancé before I finish killing him?"

Any further gloating was cut off by the sounds of cannons and magical explosions.

"Your vengeance will have to be swift Sir Magnus the battle has started."

"Go lead your men Wales. I will see to this affair on my own."

"I am in your debt sir and I hope to see you again in the next life."

"We are more than even. I gave you your life back for a few hours, you saved mine for what I hope is a very long time. Oh by the way I would be honored if you would wield one of my swords through the final battle."

"I would be honored." Wales went over to where the sputtering Wardes was still slumped against the wall and picked up the sword he had been using. "Whatever he does to you will be more kindness than you deserve. Be glad that I don't have time to repay you properly for your treachery." The prince started to leave the chapel before stopping dead in his tracks and turning back to speak with the man who saved his life. "Therum I have decided to make one last declaration would you be so kind as to kneel for a moment?"

"Since this could be considered your dying request I am honor bound to comply my friend."

Wales Drew his new sword and lightly tapped Therum's shoulder with the blunt end. "For services rendered to the Nation of Albion I hereby name you a Knight of the Imperial Order and grand all rights and privileges that come with the appointment. I also name you an official member of the Tudor family for all the days of your life." Wales then removed his cloak and the pin that held them on himself and put them on the still kneeling man. When this was done a brief flash occurred around the two men that went largely unnoticed by everyone.

"Do you realize what just happened Therum?"

"If I'm not mistaken Louise I was just knighted by the prince himself. It makes me even more upset that I won't be able to stay and fight. I swear on my honor that I will do all that I can to do your memory honor Wales.

"If you never do anything else I am still more than in your debt than I will ever be able to repay. Sadly I must get to my men. I am sorry that I will not be able to aid in your escape any further."

When the prince had said his final goodbye and left to join the battle, the three remaining companions walked over to address Wardes. "Do you have any final words to say for yourself Sir? I am pretty sure that the prince's hit broke your spine so I don't have to worry about you escaping." Silence was the response. "Have it your way. These are some of my favorite swords I have ever made you know that Viscount? The enchantments I put on them are surprisingly easy to do while being extremely useful. I call it the Caliburn package. They never get dull, they almost never break, and they can be driven into stone with little effort. The kicker to this all is when you activate the conditional removal feature." Using the last of his magical energy Therum levitated Wardes up to around standing height and drove the sword through the man into the stone pillar behind him. He then called up some blood from the puddle Wales left and smeared it on the hilt of the sword. A short incantation later and the sword flashed slightly.

"I have no idea how long it will take you to bleed out like that but I can tell you nobody but one of royal blood will be able to remove that sword from that stone." He left the singed, broken, and bleeding man to a fate he well deserves.

"Therum there is a war going on outside and you are out of willpower how are we going to escape? The ship left ages ago."

"Do you remember when we dealt with Count Mott and I used your power to cast a spell later that afternoon?"

"Yes kinda, but what are you planning to do? I thought you said it is impossible teleport as far as Tristain with three bodies."

"That's true, but I do know a way to get back with our current power levels. You just won't like it is all."

"At this point I don't think there is anything you could do that would surprise me. I will do whatever it takes to see this mission to its end."

"Alright, come with me we need to talk to Wardes one last time before he bleeds out. Do as I say and remember you agreed to this. I am going to need you to give me your hand and concentrate on casting a spell. Any spell will work for what I need." Louise did as she was told and concentrated on casting the summoning spell he had taught her. Suddenly she felt something strange happening to her like she was continuously casting a spell without any visible results. At the same time she noticed that Therum had started speaking in a language she had never heard him cast in before. It was dark and choppy unlike the normally smooth flowing sound of his incantations. Somehow he was drawing glowing symbols in the air with his finger. When he had finished his drawing, he pointed at Wardes and started a different incantation. When he started the second chant she felt the magic in her swirl like it had before but instead of a near euphoria like the previous times, she felt cold and dirty. Suddenly she knew why she felt like that. There was a red stream pouring from the body of her ex-fiancé into the glowing symbols that made them start to shine brighter and hum slightly. As Therum chanted louder and longer the feeling got worse until it suddenly shut off. When the spell ended, it was clear that Wardes was no longer alive and a shining red gateway had been opened.

"There you have it Louise; this portal will take us directly back to your bedroom. All it cost was the life of one traitorous man to open it. We should get going before it closes. I don't know how long I can keep it stable in my current condition."

Silently Louise stepped through the portal followed by Kistna and finally Therum walked through it allowing it to close behind him as he went. No further words were said that night as the three companions tiredly changed their clothes and made ready for bed. Therum was out like a candle in a strong wind as soon as he hit the pillow. Sleep did not come as easily for the other two girls. Both stayed up late into the night thinking about what they had seen that evening. The man that they knew to be a kind hearted prankster had shown a darker side to his persona. He had saved their lives but he had used terribly dark magic to do so. Did the good outweigh the bad of using such a magic or was it an affront against her fundamental beliefs?

**A/N Bwahahaha enjoy my sinister cliff hanger. I would like to thank all of you who have stuck with me so far into this story. The editing process for the older chapters is now complete. I changed a fair amount of how the final scene in this chapter played out thanks to me coming up with a borderline crazy idea. If anyone can even come close to guessing what I am plotting I will give you cyber cookies.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Aftermath**

**The editing process for the older chapters is now complete. I changed a fair amount of how the final scene in the last chapter played out thanks to me coming up with a borderline crazy idea. I would recommend rereading the last scene at the very least. If anyone can even come close to guessing what I am plotting I will give you cyber cookies.**

Therum woke up the next morning with the worst headache he could recall in recent history. He wasn't joking when he told Colbert that he wasn't suited for using darker magic. Having a chaotic good alignment tends to work against using death magic, even if the life sacrificed was an evil one.

It was still nearly an hour before the time he was supposed to wale Louise up so he decided to take inventory of how badly banged up he is after the excitement yesterday. Over all he was not too badly off in the terms of lasting damage despite everything he went through. He had a number of bruises and small cuts that would be plenty fine on their own and a pretty severe partial fracture on his left arm. That would need to be taken care of as soon as possible. At times like this he really hated the fact that he never learned any serious healing spells. Most of the spells that he inherited form Alexander were orientated towards causing damage or taking life and not restoring it. The man had a very interesting youth where he traveled the world as a mercenary learning to fight fire with fire. This left Therum with a massive wealth of battle magic but a comparatively small collection of other branches, most of which he made up with a growing mastery of chemistry and potion crafting.

Contrary to popular belief healing potions rarely work instantly and are some of the hardest to brew. The variation that Therum tended to keep on hand was one of the ones that had very heavy draw backs. It does all the work that it is going to do in a matter of minutes but forces the drinker to relive every injury that currently plagued them in exact reverse order. Pain medication doesn't work either. So shortly after drinking the potion Therum got to live through the battle with Wardes, the mercenary bandits that got in lucky hits and both encounters with the golems that still had lingering damage. Despite his best efforts he was not completely able to keep his pained sounds quiet, thus attracting the interest of his roommate.

"Hey Therum are you alright you sound like someone is kicking the shit of you down there." Kistna flew down from her apartment to check on her master who was writhing slightly on his bed.

"Yeah, uhg, I'm alright :wince: I just took a potion that should have me back in fighting form soon." He was interrupted by a particularly loud and painful crack from his arm signaling that his arm was finally reset. As suddenly as the pain started it was over and the mage was back on his feet flexing his limbs. "I think I am going to beat the person who invented that particular potion."

"What exactly did it do? It looked like you were in more pain from drinking the thing than if you just let it heal properly."

"Actually that's not too far from the truth, but doesn't make it any less worth the effort. I lived through all my recent injuries again but came out at close to 100% fighting potential in about ten minutes."

"That makes sense. Actually something like that would be insanely useful in a war. You could give it to a soldier that was near death and have them back in the fight in no time."

"That's true I could do that, but it would not be cost effective. This stuff is a lot harder to make than most healing draughts because it works so quickly. Most take a full day to work instead of minutes. There is also the cost of the ingredients to consider. I don't even know if I can get some of them here considering how rare they were on earth. "

"If the stuff is that valuable why did you take it for those relatively minor injuries that you had? Why not let them heal naturally?"

"There is a war going on not 500 miles from here. I needed to be ready to defend Louise at all times."

"As a soldier myself I guess I can understand where you are coming from with that."

"Glad that you understand, now would you give me a little privacy? I would like to get dressed"

"Did you get shy on me all of the sudden? Don't worry I won't peep on you milord" She gave a very over exaggerated curtsy before flying back up to her room to get ready for the day herself.

***BREAK***

Therum dressed himself a little nicer than normal before going to wake up Louise. He dressed himself in another one of his renaissance fair outfits that was meant to look more like an aristocrat than his normal merchant outfits. He considered wearing the cloak that the prince had given him but decided that it would be in bad taste to wear something like that when telling the princess that her beloved was most likely dead. Once he left his room he was surprised to find that Louise was already awake and dressed.

"Good morning Therum you are running late this morning."

"I thought that you would have wanted to sleep in this morning after all of the physical and emotional turmoil that happened yesterday."

"I know and I appreciate that. I just didn't sleep well last night. I kept thinking about Wardes' betrayal and that last spell you used on him. I knew you knew some questionable magic but I didn't think that you practiced something that bad."

"I don't practice that kind of magic if I have another option. The knowledge of that entire branch of magic was something that I didn't have a choice whether or not to learn. It was literally forced into my brain. Wardes was going to die a slow and painful death anyway so in a sense I not only gave him a better way to die but granted him some redemption in the process."

"What other type dark magic do you know?

"Let's just say that it's a good thing that I have no interest in world conquest and leave it at that for now. We need to go see Henrietta this morning and inform her of what happened yesterday. If you would like we can go down and have breakfast before leaving."

"I would like that very much Therum. I meant to ask, how is your arm today? I saw Wardes hit you pretty hard on that arm."

"Please, as if a little hit like that could keep me down for long." He made a display of flexing his arms and beating on his chest, causing the girls to giggle.

"You are absolutely ridiculous. You know that right."

"I am well aware of this. I find normal to be extremely overrated. Why don't we eat with the rest of the students today? You need to keep up the occasional appearance."

"Alright, I could use the distraction."

"Are you coming with us Kistna?"

"You bet your ass I am coming with you. You two get into far too much trouble when I am not there to keep an eye on you."

"You probably just want to be there for your own amusement."

"I never said I was going to keep you out of trouble, only that I want to be there when it happens."

***BREAK***

Therum and Louise made it a whole three steps into the student dining hall before the latter was tackled to the ground by a red blur.

"Darling where have you been? I've been looking for you for three days!"

"We are going to have to work on your greeting practices Kirche. Jumping on people this early in the morning and bombarding them with questions is typically considered a bad thing where I come from."

"Are you well?"

"Yes Tabitha, both Louise and I are perfectly fine. We had to run an important errand for Princess Henrietta.

"Dangerous?"

"It was a little dangerous, but nothing that I haven't dealt with before."

"You are so brave my love."

"I was just doing my job girls. Nothing any good friend would not have done in my place." Louise shot him a look that firmly displayed her disbelief in that statement. "Let's tuck in I haven't eaten since the night before last and I have managed to work up quite the appetite since then."

The group took their seats at the second year table. After a brief scuffle the seating order was decided to be Therum at the head of the table with Louise on his right and Tabitha on his left. Kirche being the loser of the draw took her seat next to Louise. Kistna took a seat at the corner of the table seated at a special table and chair that Therum pulled out of one of his pockets. Moments later several servants came by with trays of food fresh from the kitchens. One of the trays attracted Therum's attention more than the rest. Not only was it the tray carrying a pot of tea but the person carrying it was also of interest.

"Hello Siesta why are you working the breakfast shift this morning?"

"Good morning Mr. Therum I am just filling in for one of the other maids this morning. She caught a terrible cold and couldn't report in this morning."

"You are nice to a fault sometimes girl. I wish every student at this school had your work ethic."

"Oh stop it please. I am just helping out a friend. They would do the same for me if I even needed them to."

"Still, you should take some time for yourself every once in a while." He took the tray that the girl had been holding and pulled up a chair next to his at the end of the wide table. "Right now would be the perfect time to do just that."

"I couldn't possibly do that. I have to work."

"They can wait a few minutes to get their tea. I've claimed this pot for myself anyway so you can tell anyone who has a problem that you were just trying to get the pot back. In the mean time you can enjoy a nice breakfast with your friends." Siesta felt an invisible force push her into the chair that then pushed it close to the table. Any attempt to push the chair back failed miserably. The other girls all looked slightly miffed at the man's actions. Not because they did not like Siesta but because she has stolen the spot closest to him and had so easily gained his attention.

"I don't really have a choice in this do I?

"No not really. You should just quit fighting it and enjoy a nice cup of… cold tea." He looked at the cup in his hands with mild distaste.

"I'm sorry about that Mr. Therum I'll go and fetch a fresh pot right away."

"Nice try Siesta but I don't think so. Kirche if you would be so kind?" He held his cup up to the girl in question. She happily obliged with a quick flick of her wand leaning the tea more than hot enough to be enjoyable.

"You see darling I am the only woman you will even need."

"I appreciate the favor but it doesn't mean that I am suddenly more interested in sharing your bed with you. You would be much better off if you stopped seeing me as a potential lover and just saw me as a friend. If I were interested in you from more than your cheery personality you would know it by now."

"Told you so"

"That's right as a familiar of the Vallière family he would never dare sink so low as to flirt with someone like a Zerbst."

"Come now Louise, you should know me better than that by now. Someone's birth status has absolutely no influence on me when considering their potential as a girlfriend. Siesta here would stand the same chance at winning my favor as you or Tabitha or even Henrietta."

"What have they got that I don't?"

"Tact and the ability to take a hint tend to be a good place to start you dumb milk cow."

"Who are you calling a cow you stupid little pigeon. I feed things bigger than you to flame for breakfast!"

"Easy there girls put the claws away before someone gets hurt, namely me."

"Maybe he's a homosexual." That was a bad time for the poor man to be taking a sip of tea. The stuff is nowhere near as good when it comes out the nose.

"I am most certainly not into dudes."

"What other explanation do you have for ignoring the advances and lustful looks that you are receiving from most of the female population of this school? The man with eyes in the back of his head can't be so oblivious to not notice the way they look at you. Tabitha alone has glanced at you seven times since we sat down." The afore mentioned girl redoubled her efforts to hide he face behind the wide pages of her book.

"I just had a relationship end in an explosive argument before I came here. At this point in time I am not interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with anyone right now."

"What you mean to say is that you enjoy leading on these poor girls until they either give up or you get really horny." This time Siesta and Louise are the ones to spit their tea up.

"I am not leading anybody on. I just turned Kirche down with very little room for interpretation. Can we please just talk about anything other than my love life, or lack thereof?"

"I agree, Therum we should be leaving soon if we want to get to the capital at a reasonable hour. I would really rather not have to take the express route again today."

"What are you going to the capital for? Does this have something to do with where you two went for the last few days?"

"I have some very important news to deliver to the princess and that is all you really need to know Kirche."

"You know Tabitha, I could use a day away from the castle do you want to go into town today too?"

"I need books"

"There you have it; we will accompany you into town today. Siesta should come too to make things fair"

"I don't have a choice in this either do I?"

"Nope," chorused the four other girls. Siesta shared a pained look with Therum who knew that he would be spending the afternoon as a pack mule again.

***BREAK***

Transportation to the capital proved to be a rather interesting ordeal. Therum proved to not be much of an animal person and refused to ride on Tabitha's Dragon with the rest of the girls. He instead insisted on riding his motorcycle where he would be the one in control. This left another debate on who would ride with him and who would ride with Tabitha. Louise was still not overly fond of the machine so she opted out of the debate leaving the open seat to either Kirche or Siesta who were both more than willing to fight for the chance to ride with the man. To keep the arguing down, he eventually decided that Siesta would ride with him to the capital and Kirche would get the return trip. With that little SNAFU cleared up the rest of the trip went without much excitement. Sure Siesta clung to his waist a little more than absolutely necessary but that could be blamed on her being afraid of the speed and noise of the machine.

As usual he stopped slightly down the road from the city gated to hide the bike from the general population.

"Now you can't tell me that that ride didn't excite you at least a little bit."

"I have no idea what you are talking about Kistna. There was nothing unusual about that trip."

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that you had an attractive well endowed girl clinging to you while deliberately pressing her chest into your back and you didn't get slightly aroused? That gay idea is sounding more and more plausible."

"For the last time woman I am not interested in men!"

"Then prove it to me."

"I think I'll do just that." He pulled his wand out of his wrist holster and shouted a brief incantation at the mouthy little girl. A bolt of light shot out from the wand and hit her directly in the chest. Other than that it looked to all as if nothing else happened.

"What the hell was that man? How is a flash of light supposed to prove anything?" He just returned her question with a smirk and held up three fingers. He slowly counted down from there until he hit zero. As soon as he hit zero a cocoon of light enveloped her and she grew nearly five feet in as many seconds. The entire group was shocked into silence not only from the wild display of magic but from the following act of Therum Seizing his familiar in a very unchaste kiss.

"Are you convinced now?" The extremely shocked Avorian just dumbly nodded an affirmative before falling off her feet.

"That was by far the coolest thing that I have ever seen."

"What kind of magic is that? I have never seen a spell that can make people grow nearly five times their size like that."

"That was a spatial distortion spell. From what I know it is a similar branch to your Void magic."

"Fascinating."

"If you have been able to do that the whole time why didn't you do that when Kistna first got here?"

"There are a couple reasons I have never done that the first being that I never had any indication that she would like to be any bigger than she has always been. The second reason that I never enlarged her before is because that spell very temporary on living creatures and tales a whole lot of energy to cast."

"How long do I have to be like this?" Apparently she had regained her senses enough to get back on her feet.

"If I had to guess with the amount of power I put into that spell I would say somewhere around a day or two."

"Could you make this permanent if I asked you to?"

"Sure thing all I would need to do is mix up a stabilizing potion. It is the same spell that I use to shrink other things like my motorcycle and swords. The only reason that it doesn't work on living things for long is because living things have a natural state they try to maintain and this spell messes with that. The potion just tells your body that this is your new natural state so it can stop trying to change back."

"I think it would be nice to be the same size as everyone else around me."

"We can talk about this more at the end of the day once you have had time to get use to the larger size. For now we still have to meet up with Henrietta and tell her what happened yesterday. Also you should probably try to hide your wings for now. These people are used to seeing a lot of strange things but a winged woman might be a little much for them right now. Put this on." He tossed her the navy cloak that he had been wearing as part of his nobleman's outfit.

"Can I learn that spell someday?"

"Sure thing Louise I'll teach it to you once you have some of the other basics down. You will probably have a better time using it than I do. It is in your affinity after all. Now does anyone else have any questions regarding how awesome I am or can we get on with the rest of this trip?"

"Why do you hide your magic?" Tabitha gave him what might have been a questioning look.

"He said it has something to do with chess pieces and hidden abilities of a queen."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"The analogy that she was trying to use meant that for right now it is to my advantage to keep the extent of my ability a secret."

"Won't people ask questions when they realize that Kistna has grown five feet since breakfast?"

"Don't worry about it Louise. Everything will work out just fine."

***BREAK***

"Halt, who goes there?"

"Hey Agnes don't you recognize me? I did give you that sword that you are pointing at me after all.

"Sir Therum I am truly sorry. There is open war in Albion right now and that has the palace on lockdown. We have to be suspicious of everyone not traveling in a royal carriage."

"I understand completely. Is the princess available right now? We have some important news about what is going on over there."

"In that case I will take you and Miss Vallière to meet with her at once. Your friends will have to wait outside the main hall for security reasons." Kirche looked like she was going to protest before Therum cut her off.

"That will be perfectly acceptable, but I must insist that Kistna here be allowed to join us. She was with us for the whole trip to Albion after all."

"So that's where you two went! How did you get there and back so quickly?"

"That's a classified secret sorry." Kirche pouted while being led off to a place where she, Siesta, and Tabitha could wait for the others to finish their meeting.

The other three companions were escorted my Agnes herself to the throne room to meet with Henrietta. When they entered Henrietta rushed to the door to embrace her friend in a bone crushing hug.

"Louise I am so glad that you have made it safely back in such a short amount of time. Tell me what of the Prince and where is Wardes?" Louise bit her lip before replying.

"I have the letter you sent me to collect from the prince. Unfortunately Wardes was a traitor and the prince is likely dead by this point."

"He wanted me to give you this ring and tell you that he died with the honor of Albion intact." Therum removed the wind ruby from his ring finger and gently placed it in the hands of his friend.

"Did he not read the letter I sent with you? Did he care nothing for how I might feel?"

"He did what he did as much for you as for his country. He knew that if he sought refuge in Tristain that it would be all the excuse Reconquista would need to invade. He refused to put you into that kind of a position." The princess was on the verge of tears as she slipped the ring on her finger and resized it with a quick spell.

"What of Wardes? What form did his betrayal take and what has become of him?"

"The traitorous bastard declared himself part of Reconquista and ran a sword through Wales' chest. He then fought a badass fight with Therum before having his back broken by the prince and getting stuck to a wall with a sword."

"A little more attention to detail would be prudent in the future Kistna."

"How could Wardes stab Wales in the chest and then get have his back broken by the person he just stabbed?"

"Therum gave the prince some sort of magical necklace that brought him back to life."

"In that case I thing that Mister Magnus here has some explaining to do." Gone was the innocent little girl that Therum was accustomed to. In her place were the iron features of a leader.

"What have I done? I am nothing but a simple swordsman."

"I hardly think that is the case. Let's start from the beginning and examine the evidence shall we? Simple swordsmen rarely have access to an unheard of technology that they sell to random merchants so that they can buy a pocket watch nor do they have them magically engraved for people they just met. Simple swords men do not wield heavily enchanted magical weapons in what account to little more than schoolyard fights. I have never met another swordsman that can perform the tricks you used during the familiar exhibition. Simple swordsmen do not assault the home of a powerful noble and come out with their target and not a scratch to show for it. Finally, simple swordsmen do not randomly carry devices that can cheat death or defeat the captain of my mage guard. To compound matters, she was a foot tall three days ago and is now taller than I am."

"Apparently some do because those are all things that I have done in the last couple months."

"As someone who you called a friend I want you to tell me who or what you are because you are much more than some simple swordsman."

"Are you sure you can handle the truth?"

"You just told me that my lover just died at the hand of one of my most trusted soldiers before coming back to life and rushing off into a hopeless battle. I doubt that there is anything more you can surprise me with at this point."

"If that is what you wish. I am a battle mage from another planet capable of wielding not only your five elements, but other more terrifying magic as well. I am the one who forged and enchanted every weapon you have seen me use thus far. I summoned Kistna as my familiar around a week ago, and I enlarged her about an hour ago so that I could kiss her and prove that I am not gay. That's the quick explanation to all the points you just brought up." Henrietta and Agnes just stared with wide eyes and open mouths at his casual declaration.

"I was just expecting you to claim to be a fallen noble from some lesser family, but that does explain a lot more. I don't suppose that you would be willing to share your story in more detail would you?"

"I would but I have friends waiting for me out in one of the guest halls. It would be rude to keep them waiting or bore them with this story over again."

"How many people know about what you can do?"

"Louise, and Kistna know of course, as well as the three in the other room, Professor Colbert, and Headmaster Osmond. You two are the most recent addition to the worst kept secret in Halkeginia. Wardes knew that I can use magic in the end and Wales got a longer version of what I just told you."

"I would love to hear the rest of your story sometime."

"How about I tell you over dinner sometime?"

"I suppose that that would be acceptable. I will send notice as soon as I have a time available."

"Would the two of you care to join us on the rest of our shopping trip? One of our companions invited herself along for a day on the town and seems to be growing restless."

"How do you always know where I am?"

"Haven't you heard Kirche? I have eyes in the back of my head." The princess let out a small chuckle.

"I am afraid that I will not be able to accompany you six today. With these recent occurrences it looks like I will have even more to deal with than I originally planned on top of my wedding preparations. Which is why I would like to ask one more favor from you Louise."

"I would be happy to serve in any way that I am able." Henrietta walked over to the throne in the center of the room and retrieved a rather old looking book.

"I would like you to take this book and be the bridesmaid at my wedding next month. The position is more of a formality than anything of dire importance. I can think of nobody that I would rather hold this position than my dearest childhood friend."

"I will do my very best my princess."

"One last order of business before we part ways for today." Henrietta walked over to where Therum stood and took his hand in her own. "Sir Magnus for the service you rendered to this country I am willing to grant you any single request within my power."

"I would like an acre or two somewhere on the outskirts of the academy where I can build a forge and a workshop."

"Are you sure that is all you wish to be granted?"

"That it is."

"If that is all you want then consider it granted. Feel free to pick any spot you want outside the academy walls and it is yours. I will have someone draw up the papers at once."

"Thank you very much Henrietta. You have no idea how much I miss my favorite hobby."

"You do realize that she could have made you a Barron or a Count right?"

"I know that Kirche but I have no need for such a title right now. All I needed was a good place to build a new forge to replace the one I left behind."

"You really are a simple man aren't you?"

"It's about time you figured that out. If it alright by you Henrietta I believe we shall take our leave of this place."

"By all means do not let me keep you any longer. Thank you for informing me of what occurred on the mission that I sent you three on. You should be hearing from me soon to finish telling your tale."

"I wouldn't miss our date for the world."

***BREAK***

"Seriously Louise what do you need all of this stuff for anyway?"

"You were the one who offered to buy everyone something when we went into that store to pick up that stupid watch of yours."

"I was expecting you all to get something like a necklace or that sundress and hat that Siesta got. I was not expecting you and Kirche to take it as a challenge to buy everything in your size the store had. If that stupid pen salesman hadn't wanted another 500 units I would be extremely broke right now."

"I didn't hear you complaining while Kirche and Kistna were modeling outfits for you."

"Are you jealous? They just wanted my opinion on the outfits."

"Why are all men such pigs?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Louise. I think he has excellent taste. With the alterations that he made on these outfits I finally have something to wear other than my armor."

"Does that mean that you want to stay that size permanently?"

"I like being able to sit at a table with the rest of the group instead of on top of it like some sort of pet."

"In that case you are going to need these." Therum handed the girl a vial containing a dark green liquid and a necklace with a set of wings as a pendant.

"I get what the potion is supposed to do but what's with the necklace?"

"The necklace should allow you to hide your wings when not using them. I used a couple drops of your blood in both items so I am pretty sure that they'll work without any complications."

"How sure is pretty sure?"

"With the potion, about 98.7%, with the pendant I'd say closer to around 84%." Kistna looked slightly uncertain but went ahead and drank the potion.

"It tingles a bit but I feel better than I did a moment ago."

"That would be you regaining equilibrium. Give it a few more seconds and then put the necklace on." She'd seen him pull off crazier things so she trusted him enough to put on the necklace and was utterly surprised when nothing happened.

"It didn't do anything."

"Try concentrating on hiding your wings." The winged familiar did as she was told. It took a moment but the wings slowly sank into her back until the only evidence that they had been there was the two openings in the back of the dress she was wearing.

"That felt really weird."

"Trust me it looked as weird as it must have felt," quipped Louise. "That is a handy trick though."

"Hey if I am going to be this size from now on where am I going to sleep? I can't exactly fit into my old room anymore."

"For right now I suppose that we will just have to set up an extra bed in either Louise's room or my own, whichever you prefer."

"I think that I will room with Louise for now. She has more open space than you do at the moment and I think it would be awkward in the mornings now that we would have no separation from each other."

"I agree that sounds like the best idea."

"In that case I will see you girls in the morning. I am going to go parade around my room naked for a while and then see if I can't get some sleep."

After the door closed, "He never gets any less strange does he?"

"I think I am just getting used to it more than anything."

***BREAK***

Back in Albion while the rest of the world moved on with their lives, three hundred soles fought against an army that had them outnumbered more than 100:1. Contrary to what the Reconquista forces thought, this was not proving to be an easy battle. They were winning that's for sure but the number of their losses was making it a very hollow victory. For every one of the Royal forces that they managed to bring down, more than ten of their own soldiers were brought down by some combination of magic, sword, or musket fire. The most decisive influence in the battle turned out to be the leadership of the young prince who lead the defense forces himself. From the top of the walls he wielded his wand cane in one hand and a sword in the other. He dealt death and retribution to any foolish challenger with equal ease from either source.

As the battle waged on he was forced to rely more and more on the sword and less on his diminishing stores of willpower. Magical swords are by far one of the biggest mysteries created by the hands of man. Therum crafted a dozen identical blades from the same set of Titanium ingots when he was refining his blacksmith skills. Of that original dozen swords six have been given out as gifts to people who have proven worthy of such an act. In each case, the swords evolved from their original forms into something more suited to the needs of the one wielding it. In the case of the sword being used by Wales, it was quickly picking up on his desire to protect his home and the ideals of his nation so it adapted. The prince's convictions were so strong that the sword took on a blade sentience much quicker than any other enchanted weapon before it ever had. As it evolved it took the single minded ambition to protect his country and adopted that as its own purpose.

The battle waged on much longer than anyone expected. It took the invading army a full day and night to crush the royal hold outs at a cost of 4200 of their own soldiers. Prince Wales Tudor fought bravely to the end. The sword and his ambition kept him going long after exhaustion and injuries would have dropped a lesser man. With his dying breath he jammed the point of his sword into the earth of the palace courtyard trying one last time to regain his footing to keep fighting. In a bizarre act of magic he bonded a small piece of his spirit with the blade giving it one last task to accomplish. Much like the tale of the sword and the stone in English mythology this weapon would never be moved by anyone not worth to take up the crown. A magical engraving in the earth detailed as much stating that neither the sword nor the stain of blood in the courtyard would ever come out except for the rightful ruler of these lands.

After the battle a man in bishop's robes made his way through the ruins of the once great castle taking inventory of the damage that would need to be repaired before he could take the fortress as his own. He stopped his tour once he came to the fallen body of Wales Tudor next to an immaculate looking sword. As something that once resembled a bishop, the man had little use for a sword himself but could appreciate quality workmanship. If the prince had wielded this blade at all during the battle it should have accumulated a number of dents and chips in the blade yet it looked a finely honed as the day it was forged. Whoever crafted this weapon was a master of their craft. He then noticed the engraving in the blood stained earth next to the sword. Being the vain individual that he was the man tried to pull the sword from the earth and claim it as his own. Not only was he unable to remove the sword from the earth, but he received a nasty shock for his efforts. Thanks to his unique forging process and personal affinity, all of Therum's blades develop a similar defense mechanism once they accept a master.

This bishop was not the type to give up easily. He decided to pull out his signature move and preformed a chant over the corpse of the prince. At the end of his aria all the wounds the prince had obtained during the fight disappeared and he stood up as if he were previously just taking a nap. The only things that gave away the illusion of life in the body were the dead eyes and the cold skin. The reanimated corpse turned and addressed his new master.

"What are your orders sire?"

"Be glad Wales Tudor you are now a member of Reconquista under your Emperor Oliver Cromwell. I want you to pick up your sword and hand it to me." The reanimated Wales did as he was told and tried to remove the sword from the ground. He did not receive a shock because the sword understood him to be already dead, but it still didn't let loose its hold on the earth. A dead man cannot be the ruler of a nation. After a few minutes of trying the zombie prince admitted defeat.

"I am sorry sire it appears to be stuck beyond my ability to remove it."

Leave it for now we will find someone who can pull it out later. Right now I wish to locate Viscount Wardes and find out why he has not returned to my service yet."

"I know where he in milord. He is in the chapel on the second floor of the castle."

"Take me there immediately."

It took the duo several minutes to navigate the destruction to reach the chapel. When Cromwell finally located his former servant still stuck to the wall where his slayer left him. If it weren't for the hat and the clothes it would have been nearly impossible for Cromwell to identify the husk of man. One thing he noticed was that the sword that was impaled looked nearly identical to the one left in the courtyard. Learning his lesson the first time he has Wales try and remove the sword first. Unlike the first attempt, this sword pulled freely from the stone when the prince grabbed it letting the body of Wardes slump back to the ground.

Cromwell tried the same trick on Wardes that he used on Wales without any success this time. There was absolutely no spark of life left in the body for him to rekindle. This left the false bishop more than a little unsettled. There were very few ways to end a life thoroughly enough to make his ability ineffective. Other than destroying the body or having it rot for too long the only other possibility is a dark magic ritual. Whoever did this would either have to be converted or destroyed. Someone that dangerous could not be left free to oppose Reconquista.

"Wales do you know who did this to Wardes?"

"I did not see it happen myself but the last person I saw with Wardes when he was alive was a man who calls himself Therum Magnus. Apparently he was summoned as the familiar for one of the students at Tristain's Magical Academy."

"Do you know anything else about the man?"

"That is all I can remember at this time. My memories are a bit foggy right now."

"Very well, come on we have an invasion to plan."

**A/N Sorry for the long wait everybody things got really hectic there for a while. I hope this chapter pleases everybody as much as it does me. Let me know what ya think.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Calm before the Storm **

Louise didn't see much of her familiar in the weeks immediately following their adventure in Albion. Ever since he had been given his small land grant from the princess he had been spending all his time on the property building what he called his workshop. He refused all offers of assistance from anyone who tried to offer assistance. According to him the entire construction problem had to be done using no more than a single source of magic. The natural background energy other magi produce is apparently enough to interfere with some important calculation or another. Kistna was the only person he allowed within a hundred yards of the construction site. Louise heard no end to the gloating about how the Avorian was getting to help on the top secret project while she was forced to sit around and do nothing. What Louise did not know was that Kistna was being used almost entirely as a source of cheap muscle.

The amount of progress that her familiar and his own familiar were having on their project was inversely proportional to her own progress. Louise normally excelled in all of her schoolwork which was now beginning to include practical spell work thanks to the help she was getting from Therum. The only thing she ever seemed to be unable to make sense of happened to be what she currently needed the most. She is absolutely terrible at poetry, and so is everyone around her. The first person she went to for help was her familiar who in no uncertain terms told her that he would be of no use to her in this endeavor. Kistna was likewise just as useless at artistic representation. She even got desperate enough to ask Derflinger for advice who proceeded to give her a series of dirty limericks. Several of them stared a man from somewhere called Nantucket. The coming retribution on the sword got delayed by a familiar sounding pop coming from the open door next to her window.

"Are you sure you can't give me any advice on this poem Therum?"

"I am positive unless you want someone to get their brain throttled by their own intestines. Now if you could hold any further question until I remember where I left my hammer."

"Why are you looking for a hammer? I thought you were building everything out of stone."

"Not a framing hammer. I am looking for my blacksmith hammer. Oh there it is." He went over to one of the weapon racks ant took down a hammer that looked around two feet long and must have weighed close to twenty pounds. He twirled the thing like it was made of paper.

"Does this mean that you finally finished your project?"

"I finished the forge but that is only the prep phase for what I want to do. If you will notice I have several pieces of armor hanging around here but I don't have a complete set of anything. I want to finish the suit I started before I got called here."

"If that is all you wanted to do why didn't you just use the forge here at the academy they use to keep the horses shod? The princess would have surely let you come to use the royal setup if you needed a piece of equipment that we don't have here."

"Neither of those would have been good enough. The layout I had at home was specially built to enhance my natural abilities while enchanting. The one I built here is as close to the original as I can hope to ever get. That lightning storm we had last week really helped move things along. I could not have asked for better luck than that."

"What does a storm have to do with building a workshop? Doesn't rain usually slow construction down?"

"It does for normal people, but not when you are a person who can turn electricity into magic. I literally received mana from heaven to build my enchanted forge. That one storm let me cast an entire week's worth of spells to enchant the stones in a couple of hours."

"One of these days I am going to find out if you are really a genius or just downright insane."

"Want to come take a look at my new toy? Now that the construction is complete it should be safe for you to drop by."

"I would love…" She didn't get to finish her sentence before the overly excited man grabbed her by the arm and ported out of her room. Unfortunately the pair did not make it to their final destination together. Therum appeared standing in the center of the main workroom waiting for praise while Louise found herself in the pond situated just outside his property wards. These wards alerted Therum to an attempted break in and realization hit the man.

_'Whoops, it looks like I forgot to add her onto the accepted list. I hope she isn't too mad about this.'_

The sodden pink haired girl waited long enough for her familiar to cast a drying spell on her before unleashing an entire case of whoop ass on her familiar.

***BREAK***

From atop the central tower of the academy the Headmaster felt as much as saw the sudden mass of explosions erupt across the landscape.

"It looks like those two are at it again."

"At least her explosive tendencies have moved outside the castle for the most part."

"That leads into what I have called you hear to discuss today Jean. You have spent more time with Mister Magnus than anyone else here at the castle outside of his small group of friends. How do you think he would respond to being asked to take on a teaching position here at the academy?"

"To be honest Osmond I really don't know. From what I have seen he values his independence a lot for a familiar. Other than that we really don't know very much about the man other than the little that he has told us since coming here. Even if you could find a position he would be willing to accept I don't know how most of the students would take being taught by someone they see as a commoner."

"Ah but you see Jean he is not legally a commoner anymore. By our laws no matter what else a commoner cannot own land, but according the document I received from the palace nearly two weeks ago he now owns five acres. That is not a whole lot by any measure but it does mean that he is technically not a commoner anymore."

"What would you even get him to teach if he did accept? He told us himself that he doesn't want to reveal his magic yet ant that it works on different principles than out own."

"I was thinking that he could educate them in some physical aspect. In these troubling times it would be good to have our students have fit bodies as well as minds."

"So you want to create a staff position to teach physical education? I think that is a wonderful idea. Now that his familiar looks human she could be his teaching assistant to work with the girls."

"I will work up the papers to present to him by the end of the week."

For some reason known only to magic Kistna suddenly felt the need to stop what she was doing and break out in maniacal laughter. Elsewhere the students of the academy felt a shiver run up their spines for reasons they can't understand.

***BREAK***

After growing tired of casting explosions at her familiar, Louise summoned Derflinger from her room and unleashed a massive string of attacks with the enchanted blade. Unfortunately for the man the only thing he had on his person to defend himself with was his freshly retrieved hammer. The rest of his magical swords had gotten left in his room to keep them from interfering with the magic going into the building. Normally he would have reprimanded the girl for attacking with a deadly weapon but he needed the stress relief so he went along with it. For most people a sledge hammer is not their first choice of defensive weapons. Then again most people never get a chance to defend themselves with Mjöllnir. Sadly this hammer was never owned by thunder god but it is more than good enough for the lighting mage. Much like Aurora, the hammer has flexible dimensions so that it can be better used in combat if the need arises, in this case the previously short handle of a smithing hammer elongated to a couple feet to make a decent war hammer.

Therum's first retaliation definitely took the small girl by complete surprise as she struggled to absorb the blow from with her sword.

"Easy there Partner I am a very old sword not a club. That last blow would have knocked my teeth out if I had any."

"You have told me stories of how you can cut through armor and stone like cloth. Are you going to tell me that you can't even take a little blow like that from a simple smithing hammer?"

"Let's see how good you look after getting hit by that thing. I can tell you from experience that that thing is definitely magical."

Further conversation got cut off by another hammer swing that the girl wisely decided to dodge this time. "There you go Louise. Not every attack can or should be blocked. You had a very good idea deciding to have a training session today." He was going to take another swing at her but had to switch directions to stop a sneak attack from behind his back. At some point while his attention was on Louise, Kistna had snuck up behind him and decided to join in on the fun.

"You are going to have to try harder than that to get the jump on me my angel." Kistna flapped back a few times to join Louise in a lose attack formation.

"You should know by now that I am more of a devil than an angel. My pretty face is just a front."

"Two on one isn't exactly fair now is it? I haven't even practiced heavy weapon combat in years."

"Danger can come from anywhere. You should know better than to travel without protection."

"How right you are. That is why I was stalling you until my reinforcements could get here." As if on cue Siesta, Tabitha and Kirche all came walking out of the woods into the clearing where the other three were already gathered.

"You told us that you had something to show us so we came as quick as we could. However instead of some sort of shocking revelation we find you three here playing around. The explosions were rather easy to follow."

"Thank you all for coming. I was going to show you all what I had been working on all week but these two decided that a mock battle would be a better idea. So before we get onto the real show you three are going to have to pick the best side and fight for a glorious victory."

"If you want," Tabitha and the other two joined ranks with Louise and Kistna.

"I see how it is. Let's all just pick on they only guy why don't we."

"Sorry Partner's partner but you told them to pick the best side. If you don't intend to kill or cripple any of them then the best side is against you."

"You've got to admit he's completely right."

"Thanks for the show of confidence Kirche. I thought you said you would always be with me."

"That was before you told me that no matter what I did there would still be several girls with a better chance at you than I would ever have. Now I am just having fun with you in a different way."

"In that case let me do something real quick." In the space of less than ten seconds Therum cast several spells. The first one replaced everyone's real weapons with their wooden replicas. The second spell summoned his long coat to protect him from the worst spell fire incase Tabitha or Kirche got too carried away. The final spell summoned the full helmet from the armor set that Therum had been hoping to work on today. "There now Derflinger can watch you all beat the crap out of me without me having to worry too much about getting killed. Don't expect me to pull any blows if you get too close either."

Acting together on some sort of unspoken agreement, the five girls let lose a surprisingly well coordinated attack on the smiling familiar. Louise and Kistna opted for a direct assault while Siesta Kirche and Tabitha let loose with a combination of water fire and wind spells respectively. Unfortunately their target happens to be a moving target with the ability to travel at near the speed of light. If not for the slight crack that teleportation causes, Tabitha would have been sporting a rather nasty bruise. Fortunately she had enough warning to block the blow with her staff while Kirche forces Therum to retreat with a quick fire ball. The resulting fire was put out with a quick spell from Tabitha while Therum reappeared to start a combined battle with Louise and Kistna. He was dual wielding wooden replicas of both of his primary swords and doing very well while doing so. Umbra's slightly larger bulk was in his primary hand fending off Kistna's claymore while the sleeker wooden Aurora held back Splinterflinger. Thinking that they both saw an opening, both girls went in for an attack at the same time only to find that their opponent wasn't there and collided with their ally blade first.

Unfortunately for him this fighting tactic does not work for long as it caused his mana reserved to weaken rapidly forcing him to eventually stop porting at all. It didn't take long after that for the battle to go south for the lone man. It didn't take the girls long to realize that Therum could absorb most attacks based off of pure energy like a fire ball or gust of wind if they attacked one at a time. They either had to flood him with attacks or use something that had mass behind it like Tabitha's ice spears. That left Kirche to keep him distracted while the other four hit him with some kind of physical blow. It took the girls nearly an hour to beat him to the point where he admitted defeat but eventually they won. Of course every one of them sported a fair amount of bruises in return for their efforts. It turns out that the man is not afraid to round house a girl in the middle of battle though Siesta and Tabitha were spared that fate for one reason or another.

After the mock battle ended Therum banished the training weapons back to their proper homes and did what he could to patch up the girls with his meager healing abilities. It turns out that Siesta was a better healer after two months of instruction than he is.

"Now that that business has been taken care of I will show you all what I have been working on." After coding all of them into the wards this time they entered the shining blued marble building. The girls were not really the sort of appreciate a workshop or architecture that much but they all could feel the raw magic radiating off of every surface in the building.

"Are you telling me that you built this whole place in less than two weeks?"

"Yep, Henrietta gave me the land grant the day after we met with her and I started building the second the ink was dry on the contract. Magic helps speed up that kind of thing."

"Beautiful."

"Thank you Tabitha I'm glad someone appreciates my work."

"What kind of stone is this? I don't recall there being any kind of quarry like this existing in Tristain."

"I transmuted the stone from what I had around the area. It started out as plain white marble but thanks to the runic array I laid under the foundation they have steadily filled to saturation with ambient magic. That is what gives them their distinctive blue shade. It would take an army of mages to break into this place. That is just a side benefit of the real beauty of this place. Every blow I deliver to a piece of metal will fill it with a small amount of the ambient magic in the area. The more magic in the immediate area the more magical the end product. Aurora is the only blade I ever got to make with my old forge."

"I thought you said that both of your weapons were made at the same time."

"They were but there were complicated circumstances with the making of the other one. I'll explain it later."

"So you fully charged the walls of this place just so that you could make a more magical piece of armor?"

"That would be the best plan Kistna but I don't have time to wait for that I will just have to work with what I've got and hope it's enough."

"How long would it take you to wait for it to completely charge?"

"If I had to guess I would say that even with the concentrating runes it is going to take something like twenty years if I don't tap into the reserves at all. If I am constantly using the place to make mid level enchanted weapons like the swords I gave Agnes and Wales closer to sixty."

"That is a long time to collect something as common as magic."

"You would think so Kirche but even magic has rules that it has to follow."

"You mean like how it fits into the five elements and that kind of thing?"

"Not exactly, that is more of a classification than a rule. Magic is nothing more than a very complicated form of living energy. Every living thing creates a small amount of magic. For most things like an insect or a tree that amount is too small to be detected by any normal means. Magical animals and plants are special cases that produce enough of this substance to take on special properties visible to those who know what to look for. Magicians and other highly developed magical beings create enough internal magic that they can influence the world with the flow of their energy. Your elemental affinity just determines what influences you can make most effectively."

"Then why does Louise make explosions so often?"

"That is a combination of lack of experience and instruction in her element and a somewhat common side effect to having a powerful magical pool to draw from. I am already working with her on both issues and she has made plenty of progress so we'll leave that for another day."

"This is all fascinating but what does it have to do with you and your building."

"Oh yes that. Well like I was saying magic is a force of nature and an oddity of life. When you force magic into something that is not living it takes that energy out of the overall equation. Stone and metal can store tremendous amounts of magic but they can't create any of their own. That means that with things like this building and several of the items I tend to create they drain the free floating magical energy out of the surrounding area. That energy often has been building for a very long time. Once it gets absorbed from the closest area the building has to wait for more to flow in from somewhere else. Like a drop of blood dispersing in a glass only in reverse. The reaction starts out fast but slowly takes longer and longer as time goes on."

"Can something like that hurt the environment? Or people?" Siesta seemed the most nervous out of all the girls.

"Don't worry; I am only collecting the surplus this place can't collect from living sources unless freely given. Now all I have to do is find something to do for a week while the everlasting flame builds high enough to work Titanium. Anyone have any suggestions?"

"As it happens I have the perfect idea. I have collected a great number of magical treasure maps that I have been dying to investigate."

"They're all fakes."

"You don't know that Tabitha. There could be one or two of them that have real treasure. If we find that treasure I could use it to buy Therum an estate in Germania and he would have to love me."

"I don't mind going off on the adventure but I want you to look at something before we go out with that being your only reason." He led the group to the one interior door in the workshop and opened it for everyone to see inside. There were dozens of neat little stacks of metal ingots made out of dozens of different metals including fair size stacks of gold, silver, and platinum. "I think I have all the treasure I personally need."

The girls all had eyes wide as saucers. "Where did all this come from? There has to be a small fortune in this one little room."

"I transmuted it all from a large stack of bronze I got Guiche to make for me. I even gave him one of the smaller gold bars for his trouble. Your earth mages can turn any earth into select metals. I can turn any metal into another metal, even gold. It is just a matter of where your skill set lies. I could make gold from dirt but it takes more effort for every element I have to convert."

"That's illegal."

"I figured as much. It is where I come from too. I am not minting my own coins from it or anything so nobody ever has to know. All this is just raw materials for making enchanted odds and ends."

"Oh well it's not like he's randomly making diamonds or jewels out of rock or anything."

"Remember the first class?"

"What are you talking about Tabitha?"

"The transmutations review where Louise made the diamonds. That was Therum"

"The longest consecutive string of words I hear out of the girl's mouth and it's to rat me out. That's about par for the course." Kirche practically exploded with glee.

"OH Therum darling you must make us some diamonds!"

"I'll make a deal with you. If we don't find anything valuable from anything on those maps I will make everyone here an enchanted diamond piece of jewelry worth ten times as much as you paid for them."

"I'll go pack at once!" Kirche statement was followed by three more similar exclamations as four of the girls dashed towards the castle. Tabitha had chosen to wait behind and walk back with Therum at a more sedate pace.

"Why did you agree to go in this trip? The maps are most likely fakes."

"Will you accept "something to do" as a valid argument?"

"No."

"I thought not. In truth I did it because Kirche has become my friend. She tries to make people believe that acceptance means nothing to her but she cares as much if not more than Louise does. Under all the flirtations and haughty remarks she really seems to be a troubled girl. I figure going on this pointless trip with her friends will give her some needed acceptance and a nice new bracelet."

"You really care for them then."

"The same goes for you too Tabitha. I consider us friends as well. If I could help you with whatever is bothering you I would be glad to do so. The few friends I have made here are the only reason I have to stick around this place. If it weren't for you all I would have put some effort into getting somewhere else by now."

"Don't you want to go home?"

"I don't have much of a home to go back to. Pretty much everyone I had to go back to either died or probably thinks I'm dead."

"That is very sad."

"It's not that bad. I had many years with most of those that passed on before me and I made my peace with most of the rest. Becoming a mage back on Earth is neither easy nor safe. I did it for a love that I lost."

"The girl from your story?"

"The one and the same. My parents died in an accident right after I graduated college around the same time we started dating. We became close because of that."

"What is college?"

"College is a sort of specialty school you go to after normal school to learn a specialty trade. Like if an earth mage went to an apprenticeship to construct castles after they graduate from the academy."

"Why are you telling me all of this about you?"

"You asked."

"Does Louise know?"

"She knows some but not everything. I figured you would understand my situation better. It takes a pretty terrible situation to get such a curious girl to be so quiet. Drop by Louise's room sometime. I have a pretty decent collection of books you might be interested in. We can continue further conversations then. If we don't hurry and pack some supplies we are going to get drug off with noting but what we have right with us."

Therum ruffled Tabitha's hair lightly before disappearing with an almost inaudible pop. The last part of him to completely vanish was a big friendly smile.

***BREAK***

After a solid week of questing the small band had found themselves at the end of their latest dead end. Over the last week the six adventures had traveled through bandit infested forests, wandered decrepit castles and generally had a foul time of things. All of them except for their fearless leader and his wingman or in this case wing woman. The two professional fighters were having a grand time "making the world a better place to live" by cutting through hoards of evil men and creatures. At random intervals Kistna would randomly blurt out how she feels stronger now but they just wrote it off as a cultural difference.

This last place had been both the most difficult to clear and the biggest disappointment. The temple that they had come to explore was infested with nasty pig like orcs. Not only were these things hard to kill but they stunk nearly as bad alive as they did dead. While he Kistna and Tabitha made their way through the temple and the surrounding area taking out the last of the orcs Kirche Louise and Siesta were stacking the bodies with magic and using and burning them. By early evening the whole countryside was orc free and the group was able to sit down to a well deserved meal prepared by Siesta.

"Is that the last of your maps Kirche?"

"Just about, the only one I have left is the one I thought to be the least likely. It's supposed to lead to something called the Dragon's Raiment."

Siesta choked on her MRE at hearing that. Therum had insisted that since they had not thought far enough ahead to bring their own food that they could either try their hand at hunting for their own dinner or eat these. He had thousands of the things in one of the trunks in his room just waiting for an excuse to be fed to someone. The food they brought with them ran out on the second day and most of the first was spent by the pampered nobles trying to do their own hunting. By that evening everyone was eating their pride and the military rations.

"What's so special about something like that?"

"It's supposed to let whoever wears it fly."

"What a sad existence you groundlings must live. You have to come up with all sorts of ways to do what the superior races have done naturally."

"One more quip like that girl and I'll clip your wings." Kistna stuck out her tongue in defiance.

"How far away is this Raiment from here?"

"It's just outside the city of Tarbes about a day's walk from here in the direction of La Rochelle."

"Isn't Tarbes your home town Siesta?"

"Yes it is. I haven't managed to go back since I became a student at the academy though. I would love to visit if we can manage." Therum did some quick math in his head.

"I think we can manage that without too much trouble. Give me your hand and think of home." She did as told and the two vanished. Moments later Therum reappeared and repeated the process four more times using each of the other mages as a sort of living battery. He collapsed on the final trip onto a soft grassy hill overlooking a quiet little farming town.

"That is still by far the most unpleasant mode of transportation I have ever experienced."

"It was getting late and I didn't feel like spending part of another day traveling. Since Tabitha's dragon can't carry us all I figured this would be the best course of action. That reminds me will she be able to find you Tabitha?"

"She will be here in a few hours."

"That's good. In the mean time why don't you introduce us to your family Siesta? We can get going as soon as some 'superior' beings look a bit more human." Kistna looked mildly embarrassed but got the hint none the less.

***BREAK***

"Since the majority of their party represented some form of nobility the people of Tarbes decided to throw an improvised party to honor their guests. The fact that Siesta was the first mage to ever come from that sleepy little town didn't hurt the festivities either. It was mid afternoon by the time the group arrived at Siesta's home and hardly dusk before there was more food laid out than the whole town was likely to be able to finish. Hopes of finishing the meal in a single sitting were small because everyone in town contributed something to the banquet that could have fed several people on its own.

The party lasted well into the night while the young nobles were force fed more 'old family recipes' than they had probably had in their entire previous dining experiences. After he had eaten his fill Therum took his self appointed place at the head of another group of musicians and played several songs for the happy town's people. He made sure to "lose" several gold coins in the pockets of people who came to offer their thanks for taking care of their Siesta. Between that and the bricks he "misplaced" later in the town coffers he more than paid for the setback this party caused the town and probably the entire planting season too.

The girl's family would hear nothing about the group sleeping at an inn while they had beds available even if some of their own family members had to double up for the night. However nothing they said convinced Therum and Kistna to sleep anywhere than the hammocks they had with them.

The following morning, Siesta led the group out of town to the temple where the Dragon's Raiment was kept. When he pulled the door to the large strangely oriental looking building his jaw hit the floor. The only thing in the rather large temple was a single WWII Japanese Zero fighter plane. He stood next to the aircraft looking like several Christmases had just come early.

"What is this thing some kind of boat?"

"How can you possibly fly in something like this? The wings are far too small and don't even move."

"What makes you the expert on what can fly and what can't?"

"I don't know maybe it has something to do with being the only person here who can fly without magic!"

"Please everyone, don't fight. I'm sorry if bringing you here has caused any problems."

"Kistna, what would you be willing to bet that I can't make this thing fly by the end of the day tomorrow?"

"If this thing flies without using magic I will eat a fistful of my own feathers."

"I bet you that same fistful of feathers that I can have this thing flying through the air before dark tomorrow night."

"Do you really think that this thing will fly Therum?" The man ignored his master's question.

"Siesta where did your grandfather say he came from?"

"He said that he flew with the Dragon's Raiment from somewhere in the east."

"Did he leave any other possessions behind from when he came here?"

"He left his grave stone and a few other small possessions."

"Can I see his grave please?"

"Sure thing we aren't far from the village cemetery."

A short walk brought the curious group to the humble little grave yard for the people of Tarbes. The one that Siesta said belonged to her grandfather was easy to find because it was the only black headstone. Therum walked up to it and had one of his many suspicions confirmed.

"Navy ensign Sasaki Takeo, rests in another world."He read out loud.

"How can you read that? There have been countless nobles to come through here looking at the Dragon's Raiment that couldn't make heads or tails of those markings."

"I took Japanese as my third language in school. I am a bit rusty with the kanji but I am sure that is what the inscription says. He must have been a soldier during one of the last great wars from my home land."

"Does that mean that you are from the same country as Siesta's grandfather?"

"No but we are from the same world. The Dragon's Raiment is called a Zero fighter. They were built for a very terrible war between Japan and a number of other countries against my homeland and her allies."

"That's terrible does that mean that you don't like me anymore now that you know that my grandfather came from a country that yours fought?" Therum gave her a warm smile.

"Not at all, that war happened many decades before I was even born. When I left they were one of our strongest allies. If I hated people from every country mine has fought there wouldn't be many people left to like."

"It sounds like you come from a very scary place."

"It was scary at times. Then again Halkeginia can be a scary place too."

"My father told me that my grandfather left a will. If anyone ever came that can read this language then they could have the Dragon's Raiment. He also said that if possible it should be returned to the king, though I don't know which one."

"He probably meant the one that has been gone for more than sixty years by my time."

"So the Dragon's Raiment now belongs to you. I still don't believe that it will ever fly."

"I would start collection those feathers if I were you."

***BREAK***

While Siesta and the others visited with her family for the rest of the day and night Therum spent most of his time carefully synthesizing gasoline as close to what was originally in the tank of the aircraft. The only changes he made were to remove many of the impurities like sulfur from the fuel. When having to create something as complicated as gasoline from next to nothing it helps to cut out anything that isn't needed. The only time that any of his companions managed to drag him away from the plane was when he completely ran out of mana to keep working with around dinner time. Even during dinner he was thinking of ways that he could make the plane better without having to completely start from the ground up (which he kept as a viable option).

To be honest building an aircraft had been one of the few modern conveniences that he hadn't considered building over the last several months. What made this realization so funny to the man is that was what he had been doing for a living before being dragged into the wonderful world of magic. Of course the planes he had been designing had very little in common with his new Zero 52. He was very happy to find out that the preservation spells that Siesta's grandfather hap put on the plane were holding perfectly. There was hardly any sign of rust or corrosion anywhere. There was barely any sign of use on the aircraft at all I must have been pretty fresh of the production line when it got lost.

"You really think that you are going to make that thing fly don't you?"

"I don't think that I am going to make it fly; I know that I am. Between the Gandalfr runes and my own experience building planes I just have a few minor adjustments to make before firing it up. Like removing this gigantic ass radio for starters." With a slight grunt he tossed the antique radio out of the cockpit. It landed with a resounding crunch.

"If you are trying to make this thing work why are you taking parts out of it?"

"I am only taking a few things out of here that I have no use for. That and I'm also playing with the composition of the alloys that make up frame, motor, and other important bits. In short I am making it better than the people who built it could ever dream of making it. Titanium is a very expensive and useful metal that simply wasn't plausible to use when this thing was built. I can make insanely strong alloys practically out of thin air so that is what I am doing."

"How long is it going to take you to do all of that?"

"I should have it ready to go by the time you run to town and get everybody else. I just need to cast one more reinforcement spell on the shell and it should be ready to fly."

Louise was barely gone twenty minutes before nearly half the town was gathered on the side of the road where Therum had positioned the Zero fighter. He signaled for her to climb up into the cockpit with him. With a little magical persuasion the spot that used to house that gigantic radio now comfortably fit a second passenger in the previously single seat aircraft.

"Are you ready for the first flight this thing has seen in over sixty years?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

"Not really but I was always taught that it is more polite to ask anyway." Therum flipped all of the switches from their off to run positions and checked one last time that all his instruments were working to the best of their antiquated ability. "Contact," he waived his hand at the prop to start the motor spinning. The sudden noise from the machine startled everyone in the field except for those who knew what kind of noise internal combustion engines make, which wasn't very many. Slowly the plane began picking up speed down the road until it finally was able to pick the wheels off the ground and soar into the air.

Needlessly to say many people who had made fun of the machine over the years were now eating their words. They were also eating dirt as Therum decided to make a fly by at no more than fifteen feet off the ground above the crowd. After getting his fill of scaring the locals Therum took the small plane into a climb in order to give Louise a view from well above where your average dragon would be flying. It was from this vantage point that they were able to see two fleets of ships facing off with each other when one of the rearmost ships from the larger fleet randomly erupted into flames and exploded. Shortly after that the remaining ships in that fleet turned and open fire on an obviously innocent opponent.

"What is going on over there Therum?"

"If I had to guess I would say that we just saw the start of a war with Albion. If that book of yours were to ever pick a good time to show you a prayer, now would be it." Magic is funny like that. The book was apparently on the same wavelength as Therum because it chose that exact moment to send a mild impulse to Louise encouraging her to open the ancient tome.

"Can you buy those people down there some time? I think I may have something here but I need a little while to work through this old dialect."

"Luck doesn't appear to be on our side Louise. I'll give them the whole nine yards anyway." Therum pushed the throttle to near its limits and pointed his guns at the first dragon he could find.

**A/N: I might be a terrible person to leave the story at this point but I would rather devote and entire chapter to the battle and its aftermath. I have some school finals to deal with over the next week so expect the exciting battle chapter to take place in about 7-10 days if all goes well. Now is the time to get your thoughts and comments read; you know where to send them.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: War**

Siesta and her family were amazed to see that their family's heirloom was not just a worthless piece of metal. The 'airplane' as Therum had called it flew much faster than even the swiftest dragons that the villagers had seen. The one suffering from the most shock, by far, was the self proclaimed flight expert who was going to be eating her words in the near future.

"I'll be damned, he actually did it."

"Of course he did. What else would you expect from that man?"

"I was expecting him to at least make some attempt at a joke or a prank in the process." Fortunately the man was not the type to disappoint as he guided the plane low over the crowd forcing all of them to duck out of surprise at the speed and noise of the machine. After his single low pass the pilot pulled the plane into a steady climbing formation.

"Is that about what you were expecting?"

"Yeah that is more like him. If you will excuse me now, I have to go figure out how to kill someone who doesn't know how to die." Her dramatic retreat got cut short by the low rumbling of a far off explosion.

"Look there." The group followed Tabitha's finger to the source of the explosion. Just over the nearby mountains the group could see a large gathering of ships over the port city of La Rochelle. One of the smaller support ships was slowly sinking in a massive ball of flame.

"What do you think just happened? It looks like one of the ships suffered an accident." Their answer came quickly when many smaller cannon shots were heard followed by several ships on the other side going up into flame and exploding.

"Something tells me that was no accident. If I had to guess I would say that the war has finally followed us home. If you girls will excuse me I should go see what assistance I can be. You stay here with the villagers and assist them if the fighting spills into this valley. Try and get as many people as you can out of the village and into the woods." After activating her amulet Kistna shook out her wings and leapt into the air after the retreating silhouette of the airplane.

"Excuse me Siesta but did your friend just grow a set of wings and fly off after the Dragon's Raiment?"

"Yes father, she did."

"I thought so. Siesta what kind of friends have you been making since you started learning magic? First you come home weeks ahead of when your letter had us expect you. Then there is the guy who fixed the Dragon's Raiment in less than two days. Now one of the pretty women traveling with you grows a set wings and flies off after him. Next thing you are going to tell me that you are on a first name basis with Royalty."

"Actually father, I have become friends with the princess recently too." She said shyly.

The older man sighs slightly. "I always knew someone from our family was destined for greatness." The older man said proudly.

***BREAK***

"Are you sure you are ready for this Louise? This will not be like one of our sparing sessions. The people in this battle are going to be doing everything they can to kill us and I have very little magic available to me right now. I used most of my reserves fixing up the plane and making fuel."

"I am fine. Now just shut up and try not to get us killed. I am trying to read."

"Whatever you say little master." He wasn't going to warn her with the sight of the Lexington dropping out of the clouds unleashing all its dragon troops. "Hold on tight, things are about to get a little bumpy."

It didn't take long for the fast moving navy fighter to close in on the first squad of the dragon knights. Thanks to the Gandalfr runes, Therum was flying the old plane like a seasoned veteran. Those first few dragon riders never knew what hit them as a hail of 7mm rounds tore into them. He was aiming for the wings and riders of the dragons to maximize damage with the fewest number of rounds possible. The pounding sounds of the cannons on the ship served as a good reminder to stay clear of the massive flagship. The dragon knights were enough of a problem on their own without having to worry about being blown to pieces by the equivalent of ten pounds of buck shot.

Therum allowed himself to enjoy the experience of this fight more than he normally would. As a rule he did not like having to kill sentient creatures. Those rules went right out the door though when you started attacking a group of people who had done nothing to you, and bringing a war that they wanted no part of. The burning fields of the peaceful city of Tarbes did a better job of creating a killing urge than any of his experiences with Umbra. The third trio of dragon knights that went down to the Zero's machine guns didn't even get to see their end coming. He came in from above with the guns already blazing. By the time their attention could be brought away from their task of property destruction it was already too late. The battle continued much the same for Therum and the Zero. The fire dragons that Albion favored for their war parties were just too slow to keep up with the nimble aircraft.

About an hour into the battle for Tarbes the dragon corps of Albion all lay scattered on the ground, either dead or dying from multiple bullet wounds while the Zero circled above the battle zone. This was a tactical move on the part of Therum because it let him keep an eye out for any dragon riders he may have missed while staying as far from those terrifying cannons as he could manage. Sure there was the occasional musketeer or archer that would take a pot shot at him but for the most part he got left alone to keep flying while Louise worked through the passage in the book that she was currently reading.

"I think I have it now Therum. Move in closer so that I can cast this spell." Her familiar didn't respond verbally, he just made subtle adjustments to the controls and brought the duo in as close to the fleet as he dared. Just as Louise finished opening the canopy to start casting her spell a final dragon knight appeared from the deck of the Lexington and commenced an attack on the plane.

"Hole on tight Louise I am having a hard time shaking this one. That wind dragon is a lot faster than the fire breed from earlier." Louise gripped his shoulder as a signal that she understood while starting the chant for the spell.

To the credit of the captain or general giving chase to the plane, he worked out pretty quickly that broad wind attacks were not going to do any more damage than cause it to sway slightly. He soon switched to concentrated piercing and bludgeoning spells. Beyond all odds the dragon and its rider managed to keep up with the evasive maneuvers being committed by the Dragon's Raiment. This guy was giving the poor plane a pretty thorough beating in the process. Finally Therum had had enough and decided to bring out a tactic from a generation before this plane was even built. He pulled a complete vertical loop that brought him alongside the other rider. The shock on the rider's face at the maneuver was magnified until the point where Therum pulled out his trusty revolver and shot both the dragon and the rider in the head. Normally that kind of maneuver would not have been possible in a WWII era fighter thanks to enclosed bullet proof canopies but his was open and the rider had no such protection.

Somehow managing to keep her cool through the wild aerial acrobatics and the loud retort of the pistol, Louise finished her spell with the declaration of 'Explosion.' At first both occupants of the small plane thought that the spell had failed but slowly a sphere of light began to form in the center of Albion's fleet. It started out as little more than a speck but steadily grew outwards at a staggering rate. Some of the smaller ships made an effort to avoid the light but all attempts failed miserably. The force was unrelenting until every ship in the fleet had been absorbed into the unrelenting force, even the massive bulk of the Lexington. At the end of the spell Louise collapsed from exhaustion onto the shoulder of her familiar.

"You just preformed a feat that I would never be able to do on my own little master. Rest with pride as you have earned it." Therum set Louise back in her seat with a gentle bit of magic before he closed the canopy and turned the plane back towards what remained of the city of Tarbes.

***BREAK***

When it became clear to her that she was not going to be able to catch up with the other two, Kistna decided to turn back and lead the defense of the farming town. As the only one in the village with any real military training, she felt it her duty to protect the people to the best of her ability. It had not taken the enemy troops long to come upon the borders of the defenseless town. One of the smaller Albion ships had deployed several platoons onto the shores of the country during the night without anyone in Tristain being the wiser. When they saw the explosion of the ship from afar they moved out of their hiding places in the forest to begin the ground portion of the invasion. The advance troops did not expect to come across any resistance except for a small number of farmers eager to throw their lives away on a foolish cause. So when they came upon a group of three school girls standing in their path at the edge of town they couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you girls really so eager to throw your lives away? What do the three of you expect to do against three triangle mages and twenty more armed men? Do you really think that the three of you will be able to make any difference?"

"The three of us are all mages and could probably take you all on with fairly little effort, but that is not why we are here."

"Oh I get it. The village is hoping to sacrifice you three in hopes of us sparing the town. I wouldn't mind taking a crack at the lot of you, but we have orders and you three aren't worth going against that when we can just take you anyway." The dark haired member of the group blanched slightly at what the man was implying but did not lower her guard any.

"Actually we were just waiting for our friend to get back. Isn't that right Kistna?" The soldiers were somewhat confused when the redhead started talking up into the sky but were quick to discover the reason. A winged woman seemed to drop out of nowhere and struck down all three mages in the group before they could get off a single spell.

"Thanks for not starting the fun without me. I was afraid I was going to miss all the excitement." She punctuated the word 'fun' with an impaling thrust on one of the soldiers who was stupid enough to try and interrupt her conversation. "You three wouldn't mind if I finished off this lot would you? It's been a while since I had a good workout."

"Be our guest. We are on vacation after all." Some of the soldiers tried to run away from what would eventually be referred to as the Angel of Death while others bravely stood their ground. Those that stayed to fight were quickly brought down by the winged familiar while those that ran met with a wall of fire and ice that forced them to throw down their weapons and surrender. Out of the original 23 soldiers in that group only six lived to tell the tale of the three girls who controlled a vengeful messenger from God. The same went for many other groups of soldiers who tried the ground approach into the city proper.

A couple of times the girls were spared a rather unpleasant experience from a dragon by a low pass from Therum's plane as it chased the last stragglers from the dragon knights. Kistna couldn't help but shudder at thoughts of what war must have been like back on Therum's world. According to him those flying death machines were fairly common and this one was nothing compared to what they had when he left that world. Eventually they stopped seeing the plane fly over the town at all as it went back to circling over the fleet just out of cannon range.

About an hour after the actual fighting started, the reinforcements from the capital arrived on the scene to assist with the main force of the invader's army. At the head of the reinforcements was a sight that would stick in the minds of the allies and enemies alike. The princess of Tristain herself was leading the charge on the back of unicorn wearing a pure white wedding dress of all things. Kistna and the other three girls were managing to do a good job of taking out raiding parties but nothing they had done affected the moral of the town's people like the princess did with her entrance.

"Now that girl has style. Stay with the villagers I am going to see what I can do to help the princess." Unknown to her, Kistna's landing next to the princess did more for both their reputations than they would ever know. The soldiers and nobles alike took the angel like woman's appearance as a sign that God favored them that day. That the princess showed up riding a unicorn in a white dress and talked familiarly with the angel didn't hurt either. Rumors of Henrietta's holiness spread like wild fire through both armies.

Kistna had just finished filling Henrietta in on what had been going on in the area and pointed out where Therum and Louise were flying when they saw the result of Louise's spell on Albion's fleet. A small point of light expanded from the center of the navy until it engulfed every last ship. To those out of hearing range it looked like Henrietta had said something to the "angel" when she pointed at their enemy and caused it to explode using nothing more than the Wrath of God. Apparently they either didn't notice the looks of surprise on the women's faces or they thought it was an act. All they knew was that their enemy's fleet had been destroyed and they could now round up remnants of the failed invasion at their leisure. Loss of morale is as deadly to a soldier as any sword.

***BREAK***

Compared to what the vast majority of the army saw as a direct act of God the flyby of Therum and his fighter was nothing more than a passing curiosity. He was forced to land in a field that had been partially burned by one of the dragons from Albion thanks to the roads being filled with villagers, soldiers, and prisoners. After he shut down the engine and put up a simple S.E.P. field around the plane, he gently took Louise in his arms and made his way into town. She woke up about halfway into town but her familiar insisted on carrying her for the rest of the trip anyway. She tried to argue briefly but only managed to come to a compromise that she would ride on his back instead of being carried bridal style. She held consciousness all of ten minutes before she went out for good this time.

***BREAK***

Thankfully there was not a whole lot of interest in a pair that looked a lot like most of the other villagers picking through the rubble of the village trying to recover as many of their worldly possessions as possible. As a matter of fact quite a few men were carrying younger family members or injured friends on their backs from one area to another. At the center of town Therum finally managed to find his three young friends doing what they could to help out the town's people with their magic. Even Siesta was showing surprising skill using the levitation spell to move wreckage while putting out small fires with water spells.

"I am glad to see that you three made it through the fight unharmed. I was worried that something could have happened to you girls."

"That's so sweet of you Darling. Did you hear that Tabitha? He cares about our welfare." Kirche moved in close to the tall man. "If you really care I could use a little personal consoling later tonight."

"I thought you were over trying to seduce me?"

"I never give up on a target once I have started. I am just trying to pick my seductions more carefully now." The poor man let out a heavy sigh or resignation. He decided to change topics before she could involve the other girls in her schemes.

"Have you seen Kistna around anywhere? I figured she would have been with you three."

"She was for most of the fighting, but she flew off towards the royal procession and we haven't seen her since."

"Alright, I guess I will meet up with her in a little while then. I have to find somewhere safe to put Louise first."

"You could let her rest at my home. We live far enough out of town that it missed most of the damage."

"Thank you Siesta that is very kind. In that case I'll leave her to your family's care while I find out what kind of trouble Kistna is getting into."

***BREAK***

As it turned out it took Therum several hours to track down his wayward familiar even after putting Louise to bed in one of the many available in Siesta's home. Therum left instructions with Siesta's mother to inform Louise where to find him in the unlikely event that she woke up. After casting a spell of that magnitude, he would be surprised to see the girl up and walking before tomorrow evening.

Therum finally found his familiar when he went wandering among the camp set up by the royal army. She was standing next to the princess shaking hands with injured soldiers thanking them for their service to the country as the young water mage set to healing the soldiers herself. '_I would be lying if I said this was the strangest thing that I had ever seen but it definitely ranks pretty high up there.'_

_ "_There you are Sir Magnus; I was beginning to wonder when you were going to make your appearance." Henrietta finished the spell she had been casting before giving her attention to one of her newest friends. "Is Louise with you? I would like to ask the two of you some questions about what you saw during the fighting today. Lady Kistna here has already given her statement but I was hoping to get a few more sides from people who were here from the start of the fighting."

"I would be glad to give you my version of events as they happened but unfortunately you will have to wait a little while to speak with Louise. She is asleep from exhaustion at the moment and will probably be like that for the rest of the evening."

"That is most regrettable I do hope she is alright."

"I assure you she is just fine. She just found the stress of battle too much for her."

"I sometimes wonder about you sir. From what I have seen, you surround yourself almost exclusively with attractive, powerful women that always seem to be suffering from some sort of exhaustion or another. It is almost enough to make me want to put a royal detail on you."

"Is that a threat or a promise Your Majesty? Last I heard you were a woman spoken for twice over."

"As much as it pains me to have to inform you, I called off my wedding to the Germanian Emperor as soon as the battle was over. I have no time to be getting married when war has crossed into my country."

"My heart weeps for his loss." Kistna bit her lip trying to keep from laughing.

"I am so glad to hear my subjects care so much."

"You must be talking about them." He gestured to the camp that the trio had been steadily walking away from. "If memory serves neither Kistna nor myself are subjects of yours."

"You make a valid point. I might have to look into doing something about that."

"Are you making a pass at me Miss Henrietta? I find myself deeply flattered but we are hardly alone right now. What would Kistna think if we crossed such a line?" Henrietta fought a blush at his instigations at what she thought was an innocent comment.

"I'd probably think that the lovely lady would need to find a new ride back to the palace. Unicorns only let pure maidens ride them." The princess' blush deepened. Familiar team 1: Royalty 0.

"That's the smart mouthed girl I know and love. What was up with that whole polite charitable act you were putting on earlier?"

"That would be a side effect of the soldiers thinking that their princess is so holy that she could call down an angel from heaven to bring divine judgment down upon her enemies."

"Well they got the angel part right but they applied it to the wrong person. You my lovely familiar are more like a naughty fairy than an angel." Sometimes the man impressed himself with his ability to draw reactions from people. Henrietta grew an even deeper shade of red while Kistna did the same out of frustration. "By the way, don't think that your new celebrity status is going to get you out of your end of our little bet."

"Is that really all you have to care about right now? We are in the middle of a war and you bring up a childish bet."

"Well Henrietta does owe me a dinner date but right after that is making you pay up for your big mouth for a change. If memory serves you are the one who instigated that bet anyway."

"I nearly forgot about that promise. Would you care to join me tonight for some lighter conversation? I believe you were going to tell me more about your life before you came to Tristain and what your homeland is like."

"That sounds about right to me. I will meet you back here in about an hour. I have to check on Louise and the other girls. Before I go let me clean that up for you." Therum placed his hand on Henrietta's shoulder and said a single strange word. When she looked at herself to see what he had done she found that all the dirt and blood had been removed from her dress and hands. He did the same for Kistna. "It doesn't suit holy figures to be filthy like the rest of us commoners.

'_You are an interesting man Sir Magnus. I am going to have to keep a closer eye on you than I thought.'_

***BREAK***

The day after the Battle of Tarbes Henrietta got her chance to speak to her friend about what really caused the explosion that took out Albion's fleet. Upon learning that Louise was a true Void mage she insisted that the Founder's Prayer Book and the Water Ruby were both rightfully hers as an heir to the founder's power. Apparently Louise and Henrietta were something like third or fourth cousins, which meant that Louise had royal blood enough to make the gift both practical and lawful. Henrietta wasn't an idiot either and insisted that Louise's status as a void mage remain as much of a secret as Therum's own abilities.

Since she was unable to publically reward them with the titles and properties they deserve she made them her personal agents instead. In essence the status gave Louise, Therum and Kistna carte blanch to do just about anything within the borders of Tristain. They had no official command of their own but they were second in authority to nobody but the ruler of the nation which was soon to be Henrietta herself. She was going to be officially crowned Queen as soon as things calmed down enough to make such a ceremony plausible.

Therum found no end of amusement in the fact that he had acquired yet another title that he couldn't or wouldn't publically reveal at the moment. When he shared the source of his humor with the other ladies they didn't see the same humor. Even though he told Henrietta about his status as a member of the Venenatus order and his knighting ceremony by Prince Wales she didn't seem to realize the political authority he now wielded. This suited the man just fine. He had the beginnings of a plan in mind for the somewhat near future and the fewer people who knew all the details the more likely he would be able to make them work. Of course he was well acquainted with Murphy's Law and the fact that no plan survives first contact with the enemy but that doesn't mean he went around asking for trouble either.

**A/N: This ends the first arc of this story. From here on out I am going to begin to drift further away from the canon plotline. Most major events will still happen but some of the ones I don't like as much will probably get glossed over or written out completely. If there is a specific scene you want kept or removed for a specific reason write up a brief message telling me what you think. I am even willing to accept ideas for scenes that you haven't seen in other fics. I hope those of you who read this are enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing this story. By the way I have been waiting for a chance to use the Angel scene since I created the character Kistna I hope it didn't come out as too cliché there is some forward thinking in this story after all. Bonus points to anybody who can tell me what an S.E.P. field is and how it works.  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N : For those of you who have already read this chapter, I apologize for making you read it over again. One of my more vocal reviewers pointed out some issues that I decided to change. I think that this version of the chapter turned out much better when compared to rest of the story. Not only is there more character interaction, but it doesn't feel so rushed or forced.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Mon Amour **

The weeks immediately following the invasion of Tristain by Albion were extremely hectic for most of the population. As soon as everything had been taken care of on the battle field, Henrietta returned to the capital for her coronation. Though she had been handling many official duties for years, Henrietta's mother was still officially the head of state before this point. After the event was through with, the whole country officially recognized their beloved princess as the leader of the nation. Those who may have been against the young girl taking on the mantle of leadership either did not voice their opinion, or more likely were quickly silenced by the fanatics who saw her as a holy leader. The presence of a certain winged familiar being seen in the area from time to time did nothing but solidify their opinion on the matter.

A great number of nobles streamed through the city during this period of transition to offer their congratulations to the young queen, reaffirm their feudal vows, or make an attempt at raising their own status while the girl was still getting the hang of things. If not for a number of her helpful advisers and a very protective Musketeer, they might have even succeeded.

Despite the goings on just a few miles down the road, things remained fairly uneventful for those still at Tristain's Academy of Magic. Most of the students has either returned home or were traveling for their summer intermission. Those few students and teachers left within the castle were using their free time to catch up on research and studies that had gotten behind while classes were in progress. Therum Magnus in particular was doing his best to take advantage of his downtime, most of which was spent in the company of his new forge.

The suit of armor that he had started over a year ago on Earth was making great strides towards completion. All it currently lacked were the arm coverings and the decorative work. While he prefers not to wear any armored clothing other than his coat, he really wanted to finish this particular suit. Someone said that he couldn't and he intended to prove them wrong even if he was only proving it to himself at this point. Between tempering phases he was working on a number of side project too. Derflinger is an excellent sword, but he really doesn't fit Louise's build very well. She needs something made of a lighter metal that can also be used as a wand. Same goes for Siesta. She was finally catching up with Louise in terms of skill and needed a proper sword of her own. At the moment she was using one of the ones he used while in Albion.

For the time being both weapons were still in the planning phase. He was still trying to figure out what metal to make the weapons out of. Much like people, metals have a slight affinity for one type of magic or another. To most people this affinity isn't worth bothering with but to those who know what to look for, it can make all the difference. Most people would be very surprised if they were actually able to pick up either of his primary swords. The metals that match best with his magic are silver, tungsten, and titanium so those are what he makes most of his crafted items out of. He used all three when making Aurora, causing it to weigh nearly twice as much a steel sword of the same dimensions. For the girls, he would most likely just use the lightest metal that worked for them and work from there whenever he got around to testing them. For the time being they would have to live with what he had lying around.

Around noon the sweaty man decided to take a break from working the fires to find some kind of lunch. His preferred path to the kitchens brought him right by the Academy stables where someone was causing a massive commotion about something. Once he got close enough he was able to see the cause of the commotion was a pair of men trying to lead a particularly spirited black horse towards a waiting carriage. The closer they brought the horse to the harness, the meaner he got. Eventually one of the handler brought out a whip to try and make the animal more agreeable and got kicked at least ten feet back towards the corral for his trouble. The other man dropped the reigns he was holding in an attempt to help the other guy. Apparently the second guy was a mage because he pulled a wand out of his pocket and cast a number of healing spells on the guy who got kicked. The Horse on the other hand took off the second it was released. It would have gotten away too if Therum hadn't been standing in its path. With a subtle calming spell Therum managed to reign in the irritated animal.

"Easy there boy, I won't let them hurt you." He gently stroked the animal's mane while leading it back to where the two men were at.

"Thanks for catching that one. He has been nothing but a ménage since one of the local lords pawned him off on us."

"It looked to me like he was just a little startled."

"That's just what the horse wants you to think. He's a perfectly calm animal until someone tries to harness it or ride him. This is the third time he kicked one of my assistants into the hospital. I think I am going to have to put him down and cut our losses."

"That's the worst idea I have heard since coming to this stupid academy. Tell me what you want for him and I'll buy him off you."

"What would you want with a horse you can't use for anything?"

"I'm feeling nostalgic today and he reminds me of a horse from a story I read as a kid."

"I'll tell you what. You but the saddle and harness on him and he's yours. Just get that thing out of my stable." Therum happily handed over a random fistful of gold coins and lead his new horse towards the kitchen for a sandwich and a couple apples.

***Break***

Louise, Siesta, and Kistna came across a rather strange sight later that afternoon. They had been having lunch with Siesta in the dining hall for a change and decided to come out to Vestries courtyard for some fresh air when they found Therum sitting under a tree idly talking to a large black horse.

"Why are you talking a horse? I thought you hated horses."

"He was causing trouble for the stable manager so I decided to take him off their hands. That and he reminded me of a piece of my childhood." He flashed his master a cheeky smile.

"That still doesn't explain why you are talking to it. I have heard rumors about how this horse is supposed to hate everybody. "

"The poor guy is just misunderstood." Therum stroked the nose of his new stallion while feeding it an apple.

"What do you even know about training horses? From what I heard, it would have killed its last trainer if a water mage hadn't been nearby."

"That's what makes him even better."

"He's better because he almost killed a man? I know you are actually from another world, but you are making less sense than usual."

"He is living up to his namesake perfectly. You are such a good horse Widowmaker. " He continued to stroke the nose of the large black horse.

"I kinda agree with the man. He seems like a fine horse." Kistna made an attempt to pet the horse only to receive a headbutt for her troubles. If possible the horse looked extremely pleased with itself.

"Why doesn't he try to hurt you Therum? You two act like you have known each other for years," asked Siesta.

"A magician never reveals his secretes." With a smug smile the man led the mighty black horse out of the academy stable towards his own workshop.

"That guy goes through the strangest phases. A week ago he was absolutely crazy about his airplane thing and then he just hands it over to that professor like an old pot. Now he says he is feeling nostalgic about his home so he buys a temperamental horse. What's next?"

"I am not sure that we even want to know."

"Regardless of what he does next, we really shouldn't worry about it right now. Anything he is likely to do will be completely different from what we expect anyway. Go see what he is going to do with it now that he has it.

***BREAK***

As they came closer to the clearing where Therum had built his workshop they heard the sound of metal striking metal repeatedly. Thinking that he had given up on the horse idea for the day they decided to head into the main building to see what he was working on. As it turns out, he decided to put his other projects on hold in order to make a supply of horseshoes. Normally watching someone make something this simple would not have held their attention for long, but then again this is not your normal hammer and anvil. With each strike of the hammer small flashes of light and electric sparks erupted out into the air.

"I bet Widowmaker is going to be the only horse on the block with magic shoes," he said after dunking the shoe in a barrel.

"Um, Mister Therum why are you making horseshoes?"

"I bought a horse today. Why wouldn't I hake horseshoes?" Therum gave the country girl an unusually cheerful smile.

"I guess I figured that the stable attendants would have shod it for you is all."

"I would have thought so too, but I guess he wouldn't let them. He seems to be particular about some people. Personally I just think that he has better taste than other horses. Have any of you ever put new shoes on a horse?"

"I am a proud member of the Vallière family. I would never stoop to doing something so common."

"Don't look at me. I have never even ridden a horse in my life. When you grow up with your own pair of wings other forms of transportation tend to get overlooked."

"My father usually had someone from town put shoes on our horse."

Therum reached into the bucket with the horseshoes and collected four of them. He then handed one to each of the girls while keeping one for his self. "Today is as good as any to learn."

"There is no way that I am going anywhere near that monster's feet."

"What are you complaining about? At least he didn't headbutt you when you were just trying to be friendly."

"Don't mind them. Widowmaker is the friendliest horse in the world, if you know how to talk to him."

"How are you supposed to talk to a horse exactly?"

"His language is a very simple one. Bribe him with an apple and you have yourself a friend for life; or at least until he gets hungry again. That's what he told me anyway." The three girls gave him a deadpan look.

"This is ridiculous I am still not doing a commoner's work. I am a court lady of the princess now."

"Technically I think she is the queen now."

"That's not the point! I am above doing such menial labor."

"How about I make a deal with you? If you agree to learn how to put shoes on a horse, I will teach you how to play horseshoes."

"You mean as some kind of musical instrument?"

"No, it's a game. It is a whole lot of fun and the rules are really simple."

"I'll do it. I would love to learn a game from your homeland." The country mage snuck a little closer to Therum than absolutely necessary.

"You can be on my team Siesta. Come on you three we have a horse in need of a new set of shoes."

"We really don't have a choice do we?"

"Not if you ever want any peace from me."

***BREAK***

A couple of hours later, the group of happy people came wandering back from the clearing towards the castle.

"I admit that actually putting the shoe on the horse wasn't all that bad."

"I told you so. What did you think of the game afterword?"

"Oh that game was wonderful. I think I am going to teach it to my family when I go back home again for summer break."

"Oh look at this. Somebody is having a picnic in the courtyard, how romantic."

"Whoever it is even sprang for some pretty good wine." Louise held up the bottle for inspection.

"I don't think that school kids should be drinking this stuff when there are no adults around to supervise. I am going to take this bottle into protective custody." The taller woman snatched the bottle from the small pink haired mage.

"Something tells me that bottle is not going to be much safer in your custody." Therum quipped.

"Yeah, but there are four of us instead of two of them, not to mention we have the adult supervision part down." Therum snatched the bottle from her grasp before she had time to even bring it to her lips.

"If you want a bottle of wine so badly go steal one from the kitchen like these kids probably did. Better yet, I'll give you some money so you can go into town to buy all the liquor you want. Hold this for a second, will you Siesta." He handed the bottle to the girl while he went digging around in his pockets for one of his smaller money pouches. He felt it was easier to pre-separate the coined money into various denominations to make transactions quicker. As he was sorting through the many small bags he noticed Siesta taking a small sip from the bottle of wine he had handed her. Therum was about to take the bottle back from her when a pair of blonde students came into view. Therum immediately recognized Guiche but was having a hard time thinking of the girl's name, Monmon or something like that. When she saw the bottle of wine in Siesta's hand, she freaked out slightly.

"You didn't drink any of that did you?"

"I didn't but it looks as if my friend here couldn't resist the temptation." The girl turned white. "If you tell me how much it cost, I will pay you back for what my friend took." He gestured to the money bag he was still holding.

"Oh don't worry about it. It was my fault for leaving my things unattended. Come on Guiche let's finish our talk inside." The blonde girl tried to drag her on and off boyfriend towards the castle.

"Hold on a second." The two stopped dead mid stride. "I insist on paying for this. It doesn't look like a cheap bottle of wine after all."

"What are you trying to pay that girl for Therum? You can have me for free any time you want it." Therum did a double take at the strange offer must have misheard.

"I'm sorry Siesta. Could you repeat that? I think I misunderstood something there."

"I said that you don't need to pay a girl for attention with me around. I will give you all the special service you need for free." All three of her friends looked at the country girl like she had grown and extra head or something.

"Now really isn't the time for such a joke Siesta. I think you have been hanging around Kistna too much lately."

"Oh I'm not joking. I owe you so much for what you have done for me that I would absolutely love the opportunity to repay you." She had moved close enough by this point that her finger was tracing suggestively along his chest.

"Alright girl, I think you might have gotten a little carried away with the wine. I think you should head on up to bed and sleep on that kind of an offer. We'll talk about this more in the morning alright?" She became extremely perky at his words and broke off from her embrace.

"If that's the way you want to do it, it's ok by me. I saw how good you were around my siblings. We should get started on our own family as soon as possible. My father said that if I became ready to settle down, I could move back home any time."

Therum looked on dumbly at the usually shy girl walked off in the direction he knew her room to be in. He was used to jokes being made at his expense by the other two, but Siesta never joined in on the raunchier humor. Putting two and two together he looked down at the bottle of wine still in his hand. The conclusion that he came to was that she had a crush on him that was being brought out by the alcohol. Nearly a quarter of the bottle was gone after all. There is a reason why young people shouldn't drink.

"Monmon can I ask you a question?"

"Um, sure thing." She said in a very small voice.

"Did Guiche get you this bottle of wine to make up for another of his stunts?"

"No I am the one who invited him out tonight. We were going to be celebrating the second month of him not chasing after any other girls." The intimidating man gave the smaller guy a stern look.

"It's true Sir Magnus. After you knocked some sense into me I turned over a new leaf. I swear!"

"Alright, but I am confiscating this wine. Minors should not drink alcohol without supervision." He picked up the cork from the blanket where it had been left laying and put it back into the bottle. "I am going to bed early tonight Louise. I'll leave the door open if you need anything.

***BREAK***

Therum woke up the following morning feeling strangely contented. The only problem he had that particular morning came when he tried to sit up and found a warm mass holding him to the bed. Willing the light in the room to come on, he found that the object pinning him to his bed was none other than Siesta. Apparently at some point in the night, she has decided to retrieve the rest of the bottle of wine from his room and finished it off. She them must have become unstable and decided to just stay the night instead of wandering drunk through hallways. That is what Therum wanted to tell his self, but the fact that the girl was completely naked made her intentions seem slightly less innocent. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to gently shake her awake with his free hand. She gave him a big sleepy smile in way of response.

"Siesta, I think you forgot which room you were in. Louise's room is through the door there."

"No, I know exactly where I am. You said that we were going to talk more in the morning. I came to sleep with you so we could talk as soon as you woke up. The sooner we talk the sooner we can start working on our great big family."

"I don't think that is such a good idea. You are still a student after all. It wouldn't be proper of me to take advantage of you like that, especially when you have been drinking.

"I haven't had anything to drink in hours. I just want you to know how much I love and trust you. I know you would never hurt me, so you can trust my decision too." She moved her position forward enough to steal a kiss that put their last one to shame in intensity. He was too shocked at the moment to do anything about it. The forward advances of the girl may have continued if Louise hadn't chosen that moment to walk into the room.

"What is all the noise…about?" Louise saw the naked girl on top of her familiar and jumped to her first preferred conclusion. He was trying to take advantage of an innocent girl and needed to be punished. Seven seconds after entering the room, she was plunging Derflinger into the spot where his exposed torso had been.

"Woah Partner what are you doing?"

"Shut up you stupid sword. Can't you see he is doing something lecherous to her?" She pointed her sword to where Therum had teleported himself and Siesta on the other side of the room.

"That's not what happened at all! She came onto me, not the other way around."

"Not yet I didn't." For the sake of his sanity he ignored that comment.

"I don't believe you. Siesta would never do something so bold and perverse. Stand still and accept your punishment." She lunged at Therum with hew sword only to find it deflected not by her target, but by the girl who's honor she was trying to avenge.

"I won't let you hurt Therum Louise. I still need him to get my own family." Louise stopped dead in her tracks hearing what her friend just said.

"I don't know what he's done to you or told you, but you don't have to give in to his perverse intentions." Louise tried to explain to her friend.

"That's the problem though. I almost had him and you stopped me before he could do anything."

"What's all the yelling about? Who didn't do what?" A very ruffled looking Kistna poked her head into the room where the ruckus was coming from. The scene unfolding inside did more to wake her up than any cold shower ever could hope to do. "Do I even want to know why Siesta is naked and holding a sword at Louise and Derflinger?"

"Long story short, Siesta decided to have a sleepover without my knowing and Louise walked in on her trying to 'coerce' me into becoming a family man."

"When do the swords come into the picture?"

"Shortly after Louise's brain stopped working I think."

"Are you going to stop them or just stand there gawking?"

"I'm not sure. The logical part of my brain says that this shouldn't even be happening to begin with. The male side is wondering if I can turn this into a sport."

"You should probably stop them before they kill each other." Sadly the man's familiar made a good point.

"Girls! Stop this madness this instance. You are acting like a couple of mindless animals." He unleashed a little raw magical energy to make sure his point came across clear enough. He summoned Siesta's clothes from the neatly folded pile by his bed and magically dressed the girl after taking the sword away from her. He then forcefully summoned Derflinger from Louise's grasp and put it on one of the nearby weapon racks. For a brief moment all three girls looked at him with mild shock.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Louise once she had regained her senses.

"That is what happens when I become mildly annoyed with someone's actions."

"If that is what happens when you are only slightly annoyed, remind me to stay off your bad side." Kistna commented from the door frame.

"Louise, we will be talking about how you violently jump to conclusions later but right now I think there is a bigger issue to address."

"What would that be?" asked the small pinkette.

"Siesta has been acting weird since she drank that wine last night. I might be paranoid but I am pretty sure that there was something more than just wine in that bottle."

"For starters, Siesta has such a death grip on my arm that I am losing feeling in my fingers which isn't like our shy friend at all." The other two nodded in agreement while the country girl stroked her cheek against Therum's shoulder while making small kitten like sounds.

"Are you sure she isn't still a little drunk? Everyone in the castle knows she is the head of your fan club here at the school." Louise explained as if such things should have been obvious. Therum gave his little master a confused look before reexamining the girl on his arm.

"I wasn't aware that I had a following here at the academy."

"You bet your fine ass you have a following." Kistna laughed. "I'm not sure exactly when it started but I'd say that about every uninvolved girl in the school has fantasized about you at least once. A couple of them even tried to buy you for the weekend from Louise once. That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. She got redder than Kirche's hair and ran them off yelling about you belonging to her alone and calling them new blooded tramps."

"He is my familiar. It is a master's duty to protect their familiar from unwanted advances."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night sister." The older girl teased "I've heard the way you and Siesta talk while reading those books you two like so much." Louise's face turned as pink as her hair.

"I wasn't aware that you are much of a reader Louise. What kind of books do you like?" Siesta caught on to the conversation and pulled Therum's head down enough to whisper into his ear. As she talked those watching visibly saw the color drain out of the man's face. When she finished speaking she let his face go so that he could look directly at her.

"I've been around the block a few times in my life and I am pretty sure some of those things are not physically possible even with magic."

"What did she tell you?" demanded Louise.

"Something involving twenty seven feet of silk rope, a bushel of apples, three feather pillows, and a live hedgehog, which I intend to get very drunk later in an attempt to forget about.

"Oh you're talking about Maid in Paradise. That's one of my favorites." The small girl said happily."

"You three are never allowed to call me demented again. Compared to that kind of thing I am mildly eccentric at best."

"Why do I get lumped in with those two?" Kistna pouted.

"Easy, underneath your tough facade you are just as girly as these two." Kistna started to argue before quieting in defeat. "If I would have known that you ladies like those sort of books I would have given you Alex's collection. I would like nothing more than to be rid of the stupid things." He walked over to his book case labeled "English" and pulled on a large green book with the hand not claimed by Siesta. This caused the shelf to swing around and reveal over a hundred books labeled 'Romance.' "I would stick to the ones on the bottom three shelves for now if I were you girls. They are the ones that take place in time periods similar to this one. The top two shelves would take too much explaining about modern Earth."

"You mean we can have all of these books?" asked Louise as she thumbed through a volume.

"Sure, why not? I never read them and I would like to free up the shelf space."

"I can't understand anything written in this book." The small mage pouted.

"Oh, sorry about that, they are all written in my native language. I think I have something that should help with that." He attempted to go over to his desk but Siesta anchored him in place as she looked at the shelves. "Would you please let go of my arm Siesta. I need to go over to my desk."

"I have never thought anyone would have a larger collection than me," she whispered to herself. If possible she clung tighter to the man's arm. "We're perfect for each other!"

"If you don't let go of my arm so I can get some reading glasses Siesta, you won't be able to read any of them."

"That's ok, you can read them to me. Wouldn't that be romantic?" she said happily.

"I'd rather not have to read those books for any reason." Siesta's eyes began to water.

"Don't you like spending time with me? All I want to do is be with you. Why won't you love me back?" She sobbed.

"I'm sorry Siesta." He stroked her hair a few times to calm her down before casting a sleep spell on the hysterical girl. He caught her as she slumped to the ground and gently went and placed her on Louise's bed.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Kistna while flipping through one of the books looking for raunchy pictures.

"Siesta isn't acting like herself right now so I put her to sleep while I figure out what is going on. I have a pretty good idea about what may be happening but I need to go confirm my hunch. You two stay here and keep an eye on her."

"What if she really has feelings for you? Would it be so bad if a girl did actually have those feelings for you?" Louise asked shyly?

"Let's get through this situation first before we go talking about the possibility of me courting anyone." He turned his back to the girls while he dug through a drawer in his desk. He took a small box out of the drawer and handed it to Louise. The glasses in this box should enable you to read any written language as if you were reading your own." Once Louise took the box from his hand he disappeared with a small crack.

***BREAK***

Monomneratcy was feeling mildly irritated the morning after her picnic with Guiche the previous evening. After Vallière and her commoner friends came in drank the wine she had intended to give Guiche, things steadily spiraled downhill. Both of the blondes were afraid that the crazy swordsman was going to come back at any moment looking for an excuse to harass them further so they moved the dinner to her bedroom. Guiche took the change of scenery as an indication that his girlfriend wanted to move their relationship to the next phase and acted accordingly. When he tried to physically make a move on her she freaked out and kicked him out of the room. To add insult to injury the maid drank the experimental potion that she was going to test on Guiche before she could even find out if it worked or not, thus leaving her out a substantial amount of money in potion ingredients.

When a loud knock came from her door she quickly hid her current potion project, which may have been slightly illegal, and answered the door. Contrary to what she was expecting, it was not Guiche standing on the other side but Louise's commoner familiar.

"What do you want commoner? I am busy working on a very sensitive project."

"Nothing much. I was just wondering what you put in that wine last night. My friend has been acting very strange since she drank it." The small aristocrat paled slightly at what she assumed he was implying.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I would never drug anyone with love potion." Therum put on one of his trademark predatory grins.

"I never said anything about you using a love potion. I think you might have a little explaining to do." He piked up her small frame by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. If looks could kill Monmon would have become a sick as possible without actually dying.

"Alright! I put love potion in the wine! It was supposed to help keep Guiche loyal! I like him so much better this way and I was afraid he might go back to his old ways someday." The young girl was near tears. Therum dropped the girl gracelessly.

"I hope for your sake you have an antidote."

"It should wear off on its own."

"How long is that going to take?"

"A week, a month, a year, it varies from person to person."

"I don't really know how it works in this country, but mind altering potions and other substances were highly illegal in my homeland. I am willing to bet that I could get someone from the palace to look into this situation if you would rather take that approach…" The emotionless tone of his voice left no room for interpretation.

"There isn't anything I can do. I am out of the most important ingredient and I don't have the money to get anymore. Even if I did it could take weeks to find someone with any to sell."

"Give me the recipe. I may be able to fix this mess for both of us." She went to a secret drawer in her desk and pulled out a tattered scrap of paper and gave it to him.

When she handed him the list he sat down on her bed to go over the ingredients and brewing instructions. For the most part it was just a basic magical aphrodisiac that would wear off in a day or so. It wasn't until he came to the last section that he started getting worried and then furious. The stupid girl actually made a potion that used the essence of a Water Elemental as a catalyst. Luckily for the little noble he was mostly able to control his fury. He was barely able to redirect the explosion of raw magic he released into a lightning bolt that destroyed her window and most of the wall it was on. Louise herself couldn't have caused any better random structural damage. Unfortunately Monomneratcy wasn't aware that the man in her room was capable of such feats and promptly passed out due to the resulting mental overload.

Water Elementals are known for many things but mental stability isn't one of them. They usually start out calm but are quick to anger and absolutely ruthless in the pursuits of their desires. Out of every supernatural being that he had ever encountered, he hated dealing with water elementals the most. If she had fed this cocktail to her boyfriend he definitely would not have noticed any of the other girls in the school. Odds are he would have been the perfect doting boyfriend for a day or two as long as she paid attention to him as well. Then he would be getting more and more aggressive in his pursuits until eventually she would be offering her chastity up on a silver platter or having it taken forcefully and frequently. Normal people just can't handle the influences of an immortal essence mixing with their normal emotions.

For the first time in a long time Therum was afraid. He wasn't afraid or his own safety but for that of one of the closest people he had left to family. If left untreated she may very well become a slave to her desires and take action into her own hands if he kept refusing her advances. Then she would either become suicidal or homicidal. Neither were good options and he would not allow that to happen. Using the better part of his self control to keep from killing the girl, he shook her till she woke up. Monomneratcy's return to the waking world was not a pleasant one. She woke up to the expressionless slate of Therum's face just inches from her own. She was just barely able to see small arcs of electricity dancing across his body in an attempt to vent some of his anger.

"Are all the nobles in this country idiots, or do you just not care about the consequences of your actions?" he asked in a low toneless voice.

"What are you talking about? I gave you the recipe that you asked for. Ww… what else do you want?"

"I want you to explain to me why you are such an idiot? What could possibly possess you to want to drug your boyfriend with a heavy dose of Water Elemental infused aphrodisiac? The best possible outcome from that would be for you to be frequently raped buy the guy. The worst would probably end in you snubbing him and him killing you in frustration."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain it to you when I decide whether or not to remove your ignorance from the gene pool. Right now I need you to tell me where I can find another tear from another powerful water elemental."

"But I…" She shut up with a surprising amount of quickness when she found herself hanging out the hole in her wall from Therum's earlier outburst. She nearly lost all control on her bladder functions when she saw the ground several stories below.

"I don't want excuses I want a way to fix my friend. Now tell me where I can find a tear or a whole damn elemental. I don't particularly care which. "

"There is an ancient water spirit that my family has an agreement with at Ragdorian Lake." Therum considered her offer for a moment before deciding to put her back on the solid floor.

"That'll do. Be ready in fifteen minutes we are leaving today." His voice wasn't loud or angry sounding but the complete lack of any emotion sent chills down the girl's spine. She burst into tears as soon as her door closed behind him.

***BREAK***

Therum ported back to his own room before going to talk to the girls about their sudden field trip. If Siesta had managed to reawaken while he was gone, he would rather be prepared deal with her. Before entering Louise's room he gathered a strong dose of body cleanser from his rapidly diminishing potion stores. The stuff should clean her out enough to keep from going homicidal or anything but it was far from a proper cure. As far as affection levels go if he can get her to drink the stuff she would go from a hurricane to an unpleasantly heavy rainstorm.

"Hey girls I have…something… to… tell… you…" _'It's days like this that I just want to take out the whole damn planet and get it over with. I really hate how cruel magic can be sometimes.'_ In the time that he had been gone, Siesta had indeed managed to wake back up and apparently convinced the other two that her feelings were genuine. She was sprawled out on Louise's bed in a showier version of her usual maid uniform wearing a small choler with a metallic tag on it while the other two were calmly reading their new "literature."

"Therum you're back!" Siesta leapt from the bed into his arms while the others gave very unladylike grunts of acknowledgement. "Do you like my new uniform Master? I thought I could wear it when I serve you from now on." She released him long enough to twirl around in the outfit a few times for him.

'_This really isn't fair. What did I ever do to deserve this? She is extremely attractive but all this attention is the result of a love potion not her true feelings.' _"The outfit is adorable Siesta but please don't call me master. My own familiar doesn't even call me master." He said gently. "I have decided that we all need a vacation. We will be leaving as soon as you all can pack a couple days worth of supplies."

"Where are you going to take us? Is it somewhere where I can be alone with you?" asked Siesta.

"I heard about the place from Monomneratcy just a little while ago. It is called Ragdorian Lake. She is going to kindly show us the way. Now Siesta I need you to drink this potions and bundle up warmly for the trip. We are going to have to take horses because the trip is too long to teleport and the Motorcycle only seats two."

"I've been to Ragdorian Lake before. Why does Monomneratcy need to come along with us?" Louise asked after marking her place in the book she was tearing through.

"She promised to introduce me to the water spirit that lives there." He replied nonchalantly.

"I'm not doing anything until I get a kiss from you Therum." Siesta huffed while stomping her foot. Louise and Kistna stopped their packing to see how this new development turned out. The only thing keeping the man's hand from striking his face was the girl's surprisingly strong grip.

"If I give you a kiss will you be a good girl and go pack your things?" She nodded happily. Therum leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on the lips. She looked mildly disappointed at his actions but kept her word and left to pack her things. When she was finally gone Therum let out a mighty sigh before going to pack his own supplies.

***BREAK***

Getting to the lake proved to be a much bigger chore than Therum had originally realized. Organizing a sizable group to travel by horseback is not as easy as the movies led him to believe. Monomneratcy invited Guiche to come with the group as her escort so he now had five people to look after. Kistna insisted on flying above the group to act as a scout so he had four horses in his little posy. One horse for each noble, while Siesta rode with him on Widowmaker. It cost him an entire bag of apples to get the black stallion to even let the girl ride him. He was living up to his namesake than Therum could have ever hoped. With their four combined horses and the flying armored woman traveling as quickly as the animals could manage, they looked more like a raiding party than school children. Unlike his motorcycle, the horses and students required occasional rest stops along the way that proved no end of annoyance for the man. Every time the group stopped he had to make another apple bribe to Widowmaker. The other big problem for him came from Siesta as she told him every single one of her dirty fantasies in painful detail. He would occasionally notice Louise or Kistna giving him dirty looks as she spoke to him, convincing him that they could hear at least part of what she was saying to him and didn't much care for it.

With all the stops and the natural limitations of moving a group by horse, the party reached the edge of the lake right at dusk the same day they left. The trip would have gone quicker but on the final leg of the trip everyone but Therum had fallen asleep in their saddles. He had been forced to herd all four horses in a long train following the crude map Monomneratcy had drawn for him. When he finally reached the shores of the large body of water he carefully dismounted without waking up his passenger and cast a quick levitation spell on the blonde girl. His original intention had been to drop her into the lake to wake her up, but the long ride with the attractive girl constantly pressing herself into his back had put him in a slightly better mood, even if she was only doing it to enhance her perverse stories. Despite the circumstances, it reminded him of the evening rides he used to take with Alex. As a kinder wakeup he just set the girl down next to the lake and shook her a little.

"We're here. Time to get talking to your elemental friend."

"You didn't have to wake me so roughly you know? I am a fairly light sleeper."

"I thought about dropping you in the lake so don't push your luck. I could still change my mind after all." He gave her one of his trademark grins. "Is there anything that I need to do to help you summon the spirit?"

"No, in theory she, it, should answer my call according to our old family pact. Although it looks as if the lake has risen quite a bit since I was last here so there is no guarantee that she is in the mood to answer. If she has become angry enough to flood the area, there is a good chance that she is not taking an audience with anyone. The only way to know is to try." The small noble girl gently brushed off her uniform and walked right up to the edge of the lake. "I am Montmorency Margarita La Fere de Montmorency," the blond spoke with surprising clarity in her normally stuck up voice. "I am a user of water, and a member of the lineage of the old oath. If you understand my words, answer in a way that we understand."

Two results came from her loud announcement. Firstly the rest of their group woke up and crowded near the lakeside to get a better view of what was happening. Except for maybe Siesta, She was too busy cuddling up to Therum to care much about the spectacle happening just a few yards from her. The second was a bit more impressive. A mass of flowing water slowly formed upwards from the rest of the lake. It shifted many times until it finally settled on a transparent duplicate of Monomneratcy. Its gaze drifted to each of the members of the group before settling on the one who called it forth.

"I recognize you little creature by the water in your veins. By the agreement of the old pact I have come to you. Speak what you ask of me." The facial expressions of the spirit constantly shifted from one extreme emotion to another as it spoke."

"Great spirit we seek a small portion of your body to use in a cure for an ailment that has fallen upon my friend here." She waived her hand to where Siesta was gently nuzzling against Therum. He nodded his approval of her statement. It was close enough to the truth.

"Your request is refused."

"Oh well, thank you for your audience great spirit." She turned to leave before meeting the iron gaze of an unimpressed familiar. He gently forced the girl off of him before waltzing right up to the vanishing elemental.

"Please wait great spirit. I am in dire need of you to grant this request." The spirit stopped its disappearance and gave the man before it a more scrutinizing examination. Its gaze lingered on his chest for a moment before eventually falling solidly upon his right hand. The shifting of its faces even stopped on one somewhere between fear and awe.

"I am not the first of my kind that you have encountered am I destroyer?" The rest of the group shifted their full attention to him.

"I have only ever briefly met with one other water elemental but I am fairly familiar with your kind as a whole."

"Why have you come here this day?"

"As the girl said, my friend is ill and in need of a piece of your essence as part of the cure. I would like to come to a peaceful agreement but will take what I need by force if necessary."

Monomneratcy jumped into the conversation in an attempt to avert what she saw as a disaster. "Please forgive him for his insolence great one! He is just a foolish commoner who knows not what he speaks." She was on her hands and knees in full groveling position. Apparently the shock from earlier had repressed the memory of him blowing up her bedroom wall.

"Be gone insignificant one this does not concern you." The spirit angrily said to the girl. Fearing retribution from the spirit, she made a mad dash towards the nearby tree line where the others were now gathered. "Do you truly wish to do battle with me destroyer? The one whose remains you wear around your neck was surely not as old as I."

"I would much rather not have to fight you on your home territory but I cannot lose another person close to me." He drew Aurora and switched it to its shield form to protect his self if things went south.

The spirit held up a watery hand to stop him when he went for his other sword. "I to would rather not fight this night. There are already those who attack me nightly. Put an end to these attacks and you will have what you ask for." The spirit told him where the attacks occurred each night before sinking back into the lake.

As soon as the spirit had fully disappeared those hiding amongst the trees dashed out to meet the man with nerves of steel. "Are you insane? What would I have done without you if that thing had decided to kill you?" screamed Louise.

"Were you even watching the same man Louise? My lovely master practically had that spirit bend over his knee," said siesta. "Like I wish he would do to me." Siesta added quietly.

"I asked you not to call me master Siesta. It makes me feel dirty. We will have plenty of time to talk about that later. Right now we have an attack to thwart so that I don't have to fight that elemental."

"What could a commoner like you hope to do against a being that has been said to exist since before the time of the founder?" Asked Guiche who had not seen the wrath Therum brought down upon his girlfriend's room.

"Have any of you ever heard of something called electrolysis?" All five of his companions shook their heads no. He gave a heavy sigh "I thought not. Let's just say that it would have been unpleasant for a being made of water. Now no more questions, we have an ambush to set up."

***BREAK***

Therum lay in waiting for the attackers to show up that evening. He hoped that the people attacking the spirit were not too good at what they were doing. He had eventually convinced Siesta that the fight would be too dangerous for her to be part of and left her with Guiche and Monmon. He took a chance and left Guiche and a reinforced troop of his Valkyries to guard the horses, just in case the attackers had friends lurking around. The kid is about useless in most aspects, but when his honor is called into question he will do anything to keep it, even stand guard over a horse that probably has more spirit than most platoons. Louise and Kistna were waiting a short distance away should he need any reinforcement.

Not too long after sunset Therum noticed a pair of hooded figures come to the lake right where the spirit had indicated and began their spell preparations. He knew that the elemental would not be thrilled but he let each of them cast a few spells into the lake to get an indication of what he would be up against. The taller figure was a fairly skilled fire mage while the shorter one was manipulating air pockets so was probably a wind mage. When the pair had begun their second volley he leapt into battle with Aurora. It wouldn't let him hill either of them unless they really deserved to die. He had nearly closed the distance with his target when he stepped on a conveniently placed twig and alerted the duo to his presence. As a testament to their skill, they switched targets seamlessly. A volley of fire and ice shot out at him with deadly precision. He managed to dodge the first of the flame attacks but took several glancing blows from the ice spears. If not for his trusty coat he would be dealing with much more than light bruising after this.

The two cloaked figures worked together seamlessly. They were staggering their attacks to keep the man from being able to move in during an opening in their spell casting. Whoever these two are, they know how to work as a team. Back on Earth Therum was a person that nobody liked to dual with lightly. His ability to manipulate energy made almost every form of direct magical attack nearly useless. Elementalists were much more uncommon in the old magic families instead of the norm like here among the nobles. Absorbing a bolt of lightning is one thing, trying to do the same with the other elements becomes much more difficult. He could absorb fire magic if given the chance to concentrate but that just wasn't happening. Wind and ice are a lot like trying to absorb a bullet. Solid objects don't tend to like being told to disappear.

Eventually he got tired of being on the defensive and decided to show these people what a real mage can do when backed into a corner. He began throwing low grade lightning strikes at the pair. The fire mage went down pretty quickly to the magical equivalent of a tazer but the wind user was skilled enough to disperse the nonlethal attacks. Finally enough was enough and Therum put up a full body magical barrier. The spell drains magic like nothing else when attacked but it does come in handy when the caster decides to engage another powerful mage in hand to hand combat. The shocked figure didn't have time to process the sudden change of events before their small figure was hit by a flying roundhouse to the chest. The smaller combatant hit the ground pretty hard causing her hood to come up. Suddenly Therum lost all will to keep fighting. He knew the small girl that he had just kicked to the ground.

"Tabitha what are you doing here?" The small girl stopped her next spell when she recognized that voice.

"Working."

"Is Kirche the fire mage with you?"

"Yes she is."

"Why are you out attacking a water spirit in the middle of the night? I thought that you were home visiting your family."

"It's a family issue."

"You aren't going to elaborate any more are you?" The small girl shook her head. "That's alright you can tell me later if you feel like it. Come on over here, I'm not much of a healer but I reckon you are going to have a nasty bruise from that kick if I don't do something."

"It's nothing." She winced when she moved to attend to her unconscious friend.

"That doesn't look like nothing to me. Just let me take a look." Reluctantly she gave into his insistence and let him cast a diagnostic spell on the area where he had kicked her. His scan revealed a number of smaller bruises from the fight and one cracked rib. He cast the few healing spells he knew on the girl and put a bit of extra power into each one to make them more effective. "There you may be a bit tender for a week or so but otherwise you should be fine." He gave her a soft poke in the ribs to make his point. She let out an involuntary giggle when he poked her.

"Thank you."

"Uh oh; you aren't ticklish are you?" She took a step back and raised her staff in a defensive position without showing any emotion on her face. "I'll take that as a yes." Ignoring the small girl's continued defense of her sides, he went over to check on Kirche. Fortunately she had just taken the single electrical attack so she went down without injuries. He slapped her lightly on the cheeks to wake her up.

"Hey there darling, are you here to help us with the mission for the king?" she asked dreamily.

"Which king would this be Kirche?"

"Tabitha's uncle the king of Gallia, of course. He ordered us to stop the spirit from flooding any more of her family's territory." She said as she stood up. She paled slightly when she realized what she had told the man. She turned her head to give her friend with a remorseful look on her face.

"It doesn't matter to me who her family is. If she thought it wasn't worth telling me then I am sure she has her reasons. Unfortunately I am going to have to insist that the two of you stop attacking the spirit."

"I must complete my mission." The blunette spoke with uncommon firmness in her voice.

"I am in the middle of negotiations with the water spirit at the moment. I need you two to stop attacking it so that I can get a piece of its essence."

"Why do you need it?" Tabitha showed a rare bit of interest in the conversation.

"Yeah, it's not like you are a water mage of something."

"It'll be easier if I just show you. I have a hard enough time believing the situation myself."

***BREAK***

Therum led his other two friends to the location where the others were waiting for his return. He first called out to his master and familiar to get them to come out of cover before returning to their impromptu camp. When Siesta saw him returning she quickly left the food she was preparing to run and welcome him back. Before he had time to verbally greet her she had knocked him to the ground with her flying hug. She then took the opening that created to make her claim before Kirche got any ideas. Therum found himself on the receiving end of a seamy kiss that tasted of the spices she was using to cook dinner with.

"It would seem that you have been a very busy man in the few days that we have been gone Mister Magnus." Kirche commented in a sultry tone. Thinking that he had finally decided to take advantage of his charm, she tried to get a piece of the action for herself after he stood back up. She made it about six feet from the man before she found herself staring down the end of Siesta's wand.

"He is mine!" she practically yelled at the taller girl. "If you want him too you have to fight me for him. Then even if you win you still have to go second." Hearing Siesta offer him up for a threesome was almost too much for the poor man. He jumped in before the busty redhead had enough time to give the offer any serious consideration. And before the two sword wielding women in the vicinity could jump to the violence their eyes so clearly lusted for.

"We can discuss these matters later. We have to go tell the water elemental that we have stopped the attacks. Come on Monmon you have a spirit to summon." The young woman in question was so thoroughly confused by the last several minutes that she didn't even think to be bothered by her hated nickname.

With a little coaxing from Therum, the group migrated back towards the lake shore. At some point Tabitha decided to break away from reality with one of her ever present books. It didn't matter that the book was titled To Love a Commoner; it was still easier to follow than what had just happened. Besides the book and the darkness helped hide her flushed face. Therum noticed the title and could be heard softly muttering to himself about repressed nobility and their girl porn.

***BREAK***

"You have returned destroyer. Does this mean that you have stopped those who attack me?"

"Yes great Spirit I have stopped those that sought you harm you this night. Will you now uphold your end of our agreement?"

"I will do as we have agreed." The ancient entity sent a small translucent ball of water towards the man who collected it in an empty vial from one of his many pockets.

"Before you go, I must ask on behalf of my friends here." He pointed to where Tabitha and Kirche were standing. "Why have you raised the water level of the lake? You are causing a lot of distress for many people."

"About thirty cycles of the moon ago, one of your kind came into my territory and stole my most prized possession."

"Are you just angry for being robbed? Why are you just flooding the area to punish those who live here when they are just simple farmers?"

"My kind does not believe in such petty vengeance. I can only move through bodies of water so I am slowly spreading my reach in search of what was taken. I will flood the entire world if needed." Therum suddenly reverted back to the cold persona Monmon was far too familiar with.

"I can't allow you to do that. If you will return the water back to its original level I will offer to search for your ring in your place. Otherwise my efforts tonight have been in vain for I will have to put you down myself. Flooding the entire continent because you lost something is not an acceptable course of action, regardless of who you are. What is your choice?"

"I find your offer agreeable destroyer. This course of action is very tiring for me but it was the only option I had." The rest of the group was dumbstruck by what they had just witnessed. A single man had just bullied a six thousand year old elemental into changing its mind."

"What can you tell me about this treasure and who took it. It would make things a lot simpler if I had a few leads to follow."

"The item is known as the ring of Andvari." The elemental held up a translucent representation of what the ring looked like for reference.

"I think I have heard of such an artifact. It is said to be a powerful water magic artifact that can bestow a semblance of life back upon the dead," quipped Monomneratcy.

"That is not incorrect, but death is a concept that I am not familiar with, therefore I cannot completely comprehend your description. The Ring of Andvari does not simply bring false life, it is the embodiment of the ancient "Strength of the Water." It is not simply a magical item. As to those that took it from me, I do not know much about them except that one of them went by the name Cromwell."

"I've heard that name before. If I'm not mistaken the man who has named himself emperor of Albion is named Cromwell." This time Kirche was the one to speak up.

"Just what I need a dictator with a sentient zombie army." Therum commented to himself more than anyone else.

"If I may ask of you before you go Great Spirit, why do you keep calling him destroyer?" Curiously it was Siesta that asked the question. Something about the situation must have really bugged her if it overwrote her desire to compete for Therum's affection for any amount of time.

"As I told the other one my kind does not understand your concept of death. For us there is simply existence and nonexistence. That one," she pointed at Therum, "has an aura about him that only comes from being near one of our kind the moment it ceases to be on this plane. The aura becomes stronger with each successive witnessing. His is bright enough that he must have seen a great number of my brethren's last moments. This could only happen if he were the one to cause their destruction as we do not disperse of our own free will often."

"What she says is true. For a time I was part of a team whose some function was to remove threats upon humanity. Occasionally an elemental would pop up that fit that description. Not all of them are as willing to cooperate as she has been. Sometimes one would become corrupt and start possessing or otherwise killing innocent people. When that happens we got called in to put the elemental down using any means necessary. Again like she said, elementals are not easy to kill. It takes some pretty questionable magic to make the job permanent. They have to be taken apart down to the atomic level or they will just reform later more pissed off than ever."

"Destroyer is a title rarely given by one of my kind to one of yours. I will remember our interactions this night and will look favorably on you and your descendants for your willingness to find peace instead of conflict."

As the spirit began to sink into the lake once more a voice called out to it once again. "Please spirit, wait," it was Tabitha's small voice. This was the first time anyone except Kirche had ever seen the girl initiate a conversation. "We humans have always called you the 'Spirit of Oath'. Is it because of what you said? That you experience all time different from us?"

"Yes, little one, that is the reason your kind speaks oaths in my presence," its face resumed its usual flickering changes.

"Because your presence is eternal, you will always remember our oaths," Tabitha whispered, and then went to one knee, closing her eyes. Kirche, looking at the kneeling girl with understanding, placed one hand her friend's shoulder. Therum watched the girls make their oath to the ageless entity with a bit more of his usual humor.

'_It appears that there is much more to their friendship than I have been previously aware of. I wonder how this ties in to her secrecy about her family.'_ Therum made a promise of his own that night to the spirit under the shining double moons.

***BREAK***

Therum set up his travel chemistry set and got to work on the antidote right after the water elemental has disappeared for the last time. The other seven were gathered around him and a fire watching as he worked and eating the delicious meal Siesta had prepared. It might have been coincidence, but the fish Kirche got was just a little burnt. Monomneratcy was watching him the closest simply because potions were her passion and his equipment was much more refined than anything she had ever worked with.

"I hope it goes without saying that anything you may have learned about me tonight is to be kept extremely confidential." He didn't look up from his work but those present could tell by his voice that there was no room for argument. The one he was working on the potion for kept herself busy by alternating between eating and hand feeding Therum from the same plate. Normally he would have objected to this kind of treatment but both his hands were full and the food was really good. On the rare occasions that he looked up from his work he could tell that the others like the idea of Siesta hand feeding him about as much as he did. What he couldn't tell is if they were mad because she was doing it or that they hadn't thought of it first.

Tabitha had chosen to sit as close to the man as she could get without getting earning the wrath of the cook because he was currently using the best source of light that she could read by. After a while she finally gave in to the curiosity and asked the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"How many have you destroyed?"

He briefly met her eyes with a look of first confusion followed by amusement. He them went back to mixing the ingredients. Finally after what he considered to be an appropriately suspenseful amount of time he gave the girl her answer.

"Seven. Five lesser elementals, one about on par with this one, and one prime over three years."

"How could a commoner like you kill seven immortal beings in such a short period of time?"

"You are a bit thicker than I gave you credit for Monmon if you still think I am nothing but a commoner. I think the hole in your wall would attest to that if nothing else." Having finally finished with his concoction, he removed his brandy flask from his interior coat pocket and added the mixture to what liquid was already in it. There wasn't a whole lot of either fluid so he just poured it into a cup. After pretending to take a sip of the mixture he handed it to Siesta who happily drank what was left. Almost immediately she started to sway before slumping to the ground fast asleep.

"She'll be out till morning," he told the rest of the group. "When she wakes up she should be back to normal, except for Kirche. That antidote is basically a super charged purifying potion that should remove all traces of any foreign substance in their systems. Anything not made by a human body gets immediately removed while repairing most if not all damage the foreign substance might have caused. It even works as a stupidly expensive cure for most flesh wounds. Odds are she will feel better than she has in years once the mixture works its course. The only downside is that this particular recipe needed a couple of ingredients that I am now out of." Tabitha perked up slightly at the description of what his antidote was intended to do but remained silent.

After packing up his chemistry set, Therum recommended that the other three try to get some sleep. They still had to make it back to the castle tomorrow after all. He went to check on the horses briefly before settling down for his own well deserved nap.

**A/N- I hope this chapter turned out better for everyone than the last one did. I always have fun writing scenes where I can throw a bit of humor into the mix to keep the story somewhat true to the comedic nature of the source material. I also got to write a little more about Therum's back story in this chapter as he interacted with everyone else. By this point I think most people can make a fairly educated guess about where he lived before getting dragged into the world of magic. Next chapter will cover the rest of the Ragdorian Lake arch and anything else my fractured sanity may want to throw in before dealing with the Fairy Inn. Till next time let me know how I'm doing and thanks for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Just a reminder to those who don't already know. There were many changes made to the last chapter so you should probably go re-read it before continuing on with this chapter.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Watery reunion**

When Siesta awoke the next morning, the full memory of how she acted over the last couple days came rushing back to her. She wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and die from the embarrassment she felt. While she was indeed interested in trying to be with Therum, she wanted to win him over with her shy charm and caring nature. Instead, because of the potion, she acted more like a dog in heat. Somewhat getting over her embarrassment, she decided to go find the man and apologize for the way she acted and hope that he still wanted to be friends.

While Siesta had woken up just after dawn, the rest of the group was still sleeping soundly around where the fire had been. Louise and Tabitha were cuddled up with Kirche because of a shortage of blankets. The look on the busty redhead's face seemed to imply that she had no issues with sharing her inner fire's warmth with the smaller girls. For the first time in Siesta's memory all three of those noble girl's expressions were free of worry. Guiche and Monomneratcy also slept near each other but the girl had forced Guiche to erect an earthen wall between them just in case he got any ideas during the night. Finally, Kistna had cocooned herself with her wings near where the group had stacked all the saddles and other provisions. Were anyone to ask she would insist that she was guarding the supplies not conveniently using the other's baggage as a makeshift bed. The only person not still in the camp was the one Siesta wanted to talk to the most. Thinking that he might have gone to the lake to gather water for breakfast, Siesta made her way to the shore in search of him.

Therum had awoken shortly before dawn that morning and decided that he would try his hand at fishing. He had never really been much good at the act but going through the motions tended to relax him. After the last couple days, some quality relaxing was definitely in order. He got around the little inconvenience of not actually having a fishing pole by fashioning the parts he needed with a bit of quick magic. Not his best work by far, but still better than a string on a stick. The hardest part of the whole process involved digging up a worm to use as bait. He was camped under a tree next to one of the flooded sections of the lake calmly enjoying the early morning air when Siesta happened upon him.

"There you are Mr. Therum. I wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday," she said with her head turned away slightly. Therum allowed a small smile to show on his features watching her shy movements.

"You don't have anything to apologize for Siesta. You weren't yourself when you did all of those things." He told her softly. "Care to join me until the others wake up?" She didn't say anything as she quietly sat down next to him. Neither of them said anything for a long period of time. Siesta just looked on in silence as Therum slowly reeled his line in and cast it back out into the lake.

"You know I wouldn't have minded if you had accepted any of my offers." She finally spoke up after the third repetition of his casting. He almost dropped his rod into the lake in surprise. "I have liked you for a long time now."

"Even if you do like me in such a way, I could never forgive myself for taking advantage of a lady when they were not acting with a clear mind. Besides, you are looking for someone who wants to settle down and have a big family. I am nowhere ready for a life like that and don't know if I ever will be."

"I know that you are not ready to settle down yet and that you might choose another girl more like you but until that day comes I will do my best to prove that I am the best choice."

"I don't know about that Siesta. I am sure there are many men a wonderful girl like you would be better off with. I'm not exactly what you would call a ladies' man."

"For a man with eyes in the back of your head, you can be pretty blind," the country girl laughed. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek before getting up and walking back to the camp to start preparing breakfast.

_'I don't think that I am ever going to understand women.'_ Therum thought to himself as he watched his friend walk back in the direction she came from. He thought there might have been a bit more sway in her hips than normal but wrote it off as an illusion caused by the light. "_Siesta is through with being seductive now that the potion is out of her system,' _he assured himself as he resumed his fishing. The ability to reject reality and substitute it with a less damaging alternative was one of his most commonly used defensive skills.

***BREAK***

About an hour after Siesta left to start breakfast a fishless Therum decided to give up on his endeavor and cut his losses. He highly suspected the water elemental was getting back at him for his lack of groveling. They tend to hold grudges like that. Over an hour without a single nibble is a bit ridiculous. Back at camp everyone was finally awake and moving about when he arrived. The smell coming from Siesta's kitchen fire immediately canceled out any feelings of depression he may have had thanks to his complete failure as an angler. Seeing that the young cook seemed to have everything under control, he went to find out what Kirche and Louise were arguing about this time.

"All I want you to do is admit that you enjoyed sleeping with me last night," taunted the flame mage.

"To insinuate that a Vallière such as me would actually enjoy sharing the same sleeping space as a Zerbst is a ridiculous accusation." Louise's face once again matched her hair perfectly.

"You could have fooled me," countered Kirche in her usual sultry voice. "You really seemed quite comfortable with your head nestled into my pillows like you were." Kirche hefted her chest just a little to be sure her point got across. Louise let out a loud huff and stormed off to sit next to Siesta.

"Is this one of those moments where I am going to regret asking for details?" asked the highly confused man.

"Yes," came Tabitha's usual minimal reply. Therum couldn't help but notice that she had replaced here usual glasses with a pair of his magical reading glasses and was working her way through one of the books that he had pawned off on the girls.

"Are you going to elaborate any further?" he asked her? She gave him a brief look over the top of the book that said 'what do you think' before turning the page and continuing. He shrugged off her 'reply' and instead turned to Kirche. "Will you please explain how you got my little master so riled up so early this morning?"

"She did everything herself. When I woke up to the smell of the maid girl's cooking her face was buried in my chest." She said in a very casual tone. "When I shook her shoulder to wake her up she realized the position she was in and accused me of trying to do something improper to her in her sleep. I tried to tell her that she didn't have to be embarrassed about enjoying my chest and then she just exploded."

"You provoked her." Tabitha added from behind the book.

"Just because I don't mind people appreciating my body doesn't mean I don't want to get some enjoyment for myself. It's not like I made her curl up with us last night. She could have slept with bird girl or Therum."

"Watch it with the bird girl comments!" yelled Kistna from across the clearing. "Just because Louise likes to flirt with you doesn't mean I won't give you the beating of your life."

"I was not flirting with that Zerbst woman!" yelled Louise.

Therum decided that a strategic withdrawal was the wisest option so she went to talk to Guiche and Monomneratcy. "What are you two going to do from here now that I have fixed her blunder?" he vaguely gestured to Monmon.

"Well Sir Magnus, we were thinking of following you and the others back to the castle after breakfast." Guiche answered for the pair.

"Well that is going to be a problem. I intend to stay here for a few days and enjoy a well earned vacation. You two will have to either go back on your own or enjoy a bit of the scenery with us."

"You actually expect nobles to travel these dangerous roads alone or spend another night sleeping on the dirt?" As far as Monomneratcy was concerned the idea was one of the most horrifying suggestions she had ever heard.

"It is nothing new to us. We spent over a week adventuring and camping right before the invasion of Tarbes. Honestly I have lived like royalty and like a pauper over the last few years. I will take the simple life any day."

"I still don't…" Not knowing what else to do, Guiche silenced his girlfriend with a very sudden and passionate kiss to keep her from further irritating the sword mage. At first it looked like the girl was going to give him a beating that would have had Louise nodding in approval before she practically melted into a puddle of swooning goo.

"That might have been the smartest thing I have ever seen you do Guiche. I honestly thought I was about to break my rule about hitting unarmed women." Therum gave the younger blonde man a cheerful smack on the shoulder. "As to your concerns about sleeping on the ground Monmon, I think I have a decent solution. I'll explain after breakfast. I think I hear Siesta calling us." Her reply was a mostly unintelligible "uh-huh."

***Break***

Therum considered himself a better than average cook but he once again had culinary humility forced upon him by Siesta's cooking. He was pretty sure that there were spices in the food that shouldn't even exist and possibly defied the second law of flavor-dynamics. He idly toyed with the idea that she had accidentally developed some sort of kitchenmancy. He would have thought more on the subject but the sudden appearance of a fork full of food in front of his face took priority. Given the quality of the food being served, he normally would have been happy about having another helping but he couldn't help but find this situation dangerous. The fork in question was not his own. This one was being held by none other than Kirche von Zerbst, who seemed truly pleased with her latest attempt to gain his attention. Thanks to the events of last night, when she saw him scraping at his empty dish she decided to follow Siesta's lead and share some of her own breakfast.

Unfortunately for the both of them Siesta noticed this happening and counter attacked to protect her territory. She, less than subtly, pushed Kirche out of the way to offer Therum some food from her own plate.

"You should have told me that you wanted seconds I would have happily fixed you some more food." The happy country girl practically forced the food into his mouth while glaring at Kirche out of the corner of her eye. Not wanting to be beaten at her own game, Kirche shoved Louise out of the way on the man's other side and offered up another morsel. Louise weighed the pros and cons of extracting bloody revenge upon Kirche for her rudeness. In the end hunger and laziness won out and she ignored Kirche in favor of food.

"You don't want to be eating off of her plate Therum. She served herself so late that she let the food get all cold. The Ardent would never try and serve you something that wasn't as hot as my inner flame." She followed the other girl's lead and forced a slightly steaming piece of pork into his mouth. He coughed slightly at the sudden mouthful but dutifully ate it to avoid wasting such a delicious meal.

"Please girls, I am fine you don't have to feed me your meals. You should finish them yourselves." He gently forced both girls' hands away from his face. "I let myself be fed by Siesta last night because it was the easiest option while she was still under the potion's effects but as a rule I prefer to feed myself."

"If you don't finish your food darling, how am I supposed to give you your desert?" She made full use of her low cut shirt to empathize what was on the desert menu. Siesta did her best to copy the move on his other side while Kistna and Louise sat back and basked in his discomfort. Derflinger shouted encouragement and suggestions to the girls from his spot next to Louise.

Guiche who had been watching the whole scene unfold turned towards his girlfriend with an open mouth and an expectant look on his face. Monomneratcy sighed and was going to humor him before Kistna saw the opportunity and interrupted her. Reaching across the young blonde girl, she fed Guiche a mouthful from her own spoon. Unfortunately for Guiche Kistna had finished her breakfast around the same time Therum had. Instead, he got a mouthful of fresh dirt. The reaction was nearly immediate with Guiche being left sputtering trying to get the taste of soil out of his mouth. Both Kistna and Monomneratcy enjoyed laughter at his expense.

"What's the matter Guiche? I thought you were an earth mage." Kistna managed to get out between fits of laughter.

"Just because I am an earth mage doesn't mean I like to be fed dirt you pigeon brained woman." Kistna suddenly stopped laughing and gave the boy a very cold look.

"I'll let you off for that this time as fair turn around for my little prank but I would highly suggest you not compare me to insult my Avorian heritage again." Guiche gulped slightly but managed to give a slight nod. "Now that that's settled, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" she asked the rest of the group.

"First thing we are going to do is wash the dishes for Siesta. She cooked for all of us so we should be kind enough to handle the clean up. If everyone takes care of their own dishes it should not take any time at all." Therum gave Monomneratcy a piercing glare. "Anyone who doesn't want to take care of their own mess doesn't want to eat at dinner time."

***BREAK***

After all the small chores around the camp were finished Therum decided to spend the rest of the morning on exercises that he had been a little lax in lately. After changing out of his standard suit into something that he wouldn't mind getting dirty he started this exercising with a jog around the lake. Back at the campsite the young ladies engaged in the time old tradition of gossip.

"Tell us Louise. What is it like to share a room with a man? Don't you ever worry that he might do something to you in your sleep?" Monomneratcy decided to start some conversation a bit closer to her area of expertise. Despite being a bit stuck up, the little blonde is probably the most normal person in the assembled group.

"It's not really all that special." The pinkette replied with a vague air of dismissal. "He has his own sleeping quarters and is much better behaved around women than Guiche is." Guiche simply shrugged his shoulders in acceptance. He may be a bit of a womanizing perve but he was honest with himself about being so.

"What do you mean, he has his own sleeping quarters? I know for a fact the school didn't give him separate lodgings." Her gossip network was without rival in the academy.

"That's true. He built an additional space into my room for himself and his things. Really he has proven to be a very handy familiar despite some of his troublesome tendencies." This time Louise was sounding a bit smug.

Monomneratcy knew she was losing control of the conversation so she made an attempt to bring it back to her earlier point. "Even if he has his own space to sleep, he could still easily sneak into your bed when you aren't able to defend yourself."

"I don't think she has much to worry about on that front. He has a harder time keeping girls out of his bed than they do keeping him out of theirs." Kistna added "helpfully." Guiche and Monomneratcy were shocked at what Kistna was implying, for completely different reasons. One couldn't get past the scandalous thoughts in their head while the other had a new role model.

Kirche looked over at Louise for confirmation only to find her rival with a massive blush on her face. "Don't tell me you have spent the night in his bed Louise." She said in a half joking voice.

"I have spent a few nights in his bed instead of mine." She paused for dramatic effect. "His bed is more comfortable than mine and I would have to drug him to get him to make a move on me. Honestly I think he may be more interested in someone like Guiche."

"I don't think so. The one time he made any kind of move on me was when I implied he might not like the fairer sex. If you really want to get him to pay attention to you girls, I would suggest you start trying to hook him up with blondie over there." She pointed in the direction of a very uncomfortable looking Guiche. After offering up her sage like wisdom, Kistna allowed herself to drift off into fond memories and fantasies.

"Please tell me you aren't going to do what she just suggested. I'm too young and pretty to die," Guiche pleaded. Ignoring the boy's slight whimpering, the six girls huddled together to trade possible strategies for getting Therum off the fence. More accurately four of the girls discussed while the blonde and the blunette listened in with minimal input.

***BREAK***

Elsewhere Therum was putting the finishing touches on his workout and preparing to make his way back to camp. Once cleaned up and neatly clothed again he got a strong urge to do anything but return at that moment. Normally clairvoyance was not considered part of his skill set and he would have shrugged off the feeling as paranoia. This one felt different somehow so he decided to listen to the not so small voice in his head and went to give fishing another try on the far side of the lake.

***BREAK***

Therum was much happier with his second attempt at fishing. It was getting pretty close to dusk and looked like rain so he was making the fairly short hike back to the rest of his friends with a dozen fresh caught fish. After that weird feeling earlier in the day he was looking forward to showing off his awesome catch. Nobody else had to know that he "caught" them with a repeated casting of 'summon fish.' He was so pleased with himself that he didn't even notice the wind spell that hit him until he was already well removed from the shoreline. As he swam back to shore he worked on how many languages he was going to swear at the perpetrator in. Not an easy feat when the majority of his left hand side was suffering from blunt force trauma. When he was close enough to shore to see clearly who his attacker was all humor at the situation dies. It was not one of the girls or Guiche who had sent him swimming but a strange man in what once must have been exquisite clothes. They were now covered in some mild blood stains and several tears that looked more like blade wounds. Therum instantly gave up any pretence of finishing the swim and teleported himself to a standing position a few feet from the stranger.

"Who are you and why did you attack me just now?" Therum took a defensive position against his new adversary and really wished he had thought to bring his coat with him. All his weapons were in the pockets protected by some of the strongest anti-summoning enchantments he had ever cast. In theory they were to keep opponents from using his equipment against him or removing his primary armor by anything but force. In this case his paranoia did a fine job of working against him. The man gave no response to his question before sending another 'breaking wind' at his disadvantaged opponent. Not knowing if he could stand up against another direct hit from what seemed to be at least a triangle class opponent Therum was forced to rely on his physical ability to dodge the attacks. When his opening did finally come Therum sent a much more powerful variant of the lightening attack that he took Kirche out with the previous night. His aim was a little off but the bolt struck the stranger with such force that it completely blew off his left arm. Contrary to most expectations, the guy did not drop dead to either electrical shock or blood loss. He barely even seemed to notice the wound as he sent a piercing attack at Therum who barely managed to avoid the attack. To most people this would have been a moral crushing turn of events. To Therum it made a terrifying connection to the second task from the water spirit and further increased his need to get back to the others. He knew he would probably regret his decision later but decided on using one of his trump cards to get rid of the threat.

Pushing the pain in his side to the back of his mind Therum teleported behind the now classified zombie mage and grabbed it by the back of the head. He said a short incantation and was rewarded with a shower of gore as a result. The spell he had decided on would definitely be classified as 'dark' by any self respecting mage. It targeted all the major organs in the human body and caused them to explode at once using a combination of blood electrolysis and a series of mild ignition spells. It is very effective in that for a lightning elementalist like him it had a fairly low power cost, but the headache it causes him as retribution for going against his alignment hurt like hell. Still Now that the threat was thoroughly eliminated he could finally get back to helping those who he found himself caring about.

***BREAK***

When he ported into the clearing the sight he saw brought both fear and pride to his heart. The pride came from how well the six noncombatants and one former guard were handling themselves against the hoard of zombie mages that had them outnumbered at least two to one. The fear came from the sight of his friends and acquaintances having to fight for their lives. The situation was made even worse by the fact that his coat was not hanging on the branch where he left it and none of the girls had it either. Down to his last resort Therum tore open his saddle bag and retrieved his pair of pistols and his smithing hammer. Normally he didn't travel with the damn thing but being the paranoid type he wanted to be prepared in the event of one of the horses needing an emergency shoe replacement. He unloaded the pair of pistols into as many of the walking dead as he could without risking harm on one of his friends. The end result being that several of the zombies turned their attention away from the huddled group to attack the new threat. The small puncture wounds did next to nothing to the zombies he hit. The only one not getting back up being the one that had two head shots scored with the high velocity hollow points. There wasn't enough skull left to regenerate.

The group of young mages seemed to gain new resolve to do their part in the fight when the six zombies broke off to confront the hammer wielding familiar. At its fully enlarged size Therum's smithing hammer had one function. Smash whatever is at the receiving end of the head. That was exactly what he intended to do with it too. Using the few strength enhancing spell he knew, Therum charged the oncoming hoard. Combined with his rarely used Gandalfr abilities, the spells made the hammer a relatively functional weapon. The first one went down before it even got a chance to react. It took the full brunt of the large to its head with a sickening crunch. The rest showed that they still had most of their reasoning ability still intact by regrouping out of the hammer's reach and casting five simultaneous spells at the lone defender. He narrowly avoided a painful death with another quick cast teleportation that resulted in another dead zombie. That left four more immediate opponents and less than a quarter of his usual magical reserves to work with. Teleporting is useful but takes a hell of a lot of power to cast, even more if you don't have time to incant.

A quick glance over to where the others were positioned showed that they were still holding their own. Louise was making use of Derflinger and its ability to absorb magic to act as a shield for the others who had more offensive spells available to them. As they showed the previous night, Kirche and Tabitha made an impressively powerful duo. Guiche was showing a surprising amount of competence on the battle field coordinating his Valkyries using sheer numbers to overwhelm those zombie mages who had exhausted their magical reserves and literally cutting them into pieces too small to put back together. Kistna was doing her best to defend Siesta and Monomneratcy against two opponents who seemed to have once been common swordsmen. Skilled swordsmen, but at least they weren't throwing spells.

The four who had been concentrating on Therum finally seemed to run out of steam and advanced on him with their swords drawn. Unlike Wardes these guys seemed to think more along the lines of function over form. They all had proper bladed weapons to supplement their magic in an emergency. They made good use of their numerical advantage and superior speed against Therum. His hammer blows were a one or two hit kill for his opponents but he still actually had to get the heavy weapon to connect. As his opponents moved in to sword range they suffered a number of glancing blows that would have crippled a normal soldier but only bought the tiring warrior time. He finally took out two of them by using the same organ exploding spell that he used earlier. Unfortunately that involved dropping the hammer to make physical contact with his targets, rewarding him with a worsening migraine and a number of less than minor cuts. On the plus side he scavenged those two's swords and was able to make fairly short work of the remaining two zombies. Unlike Wardes, without numerical advantage these guys were not nearly as skilled as Therum with a bladed weapon. The last of the zombie met its demise when Therum beheaded it from behind while it was concentrating on fighting Kistna.

"Are you all alright?" he panted as he dropped his borrowed weapons. Now that he wasn't holding a weapon to activate his runes he was feeling his true fatigue and injuries.

"I think so. These guys just came out of nowhere though," commented Kistna as she sheathed her own sword. The rest of the group replied much the same way.

"Have any of you seen my coat? I left it hanging on that tree over there." He pointed to a tree that had a large chunk of the trunk missing from a stray hammer blow.

"Is this what you are looking for?" The whole group turned towards a voice that at least three of them had never expected to hear again. Prince Wales stood before them with Therum's coat in one hand and Princess Henrietta holding onto the other. "I remembered all the interesting things you tend to keep in your pockets Sir Magnus so I decided to even the odds for my forces. Though it doesn't seem to have made much of a difference for them in the end." The prince casually surveyed the charred and dismembered bits of flesh that had recently been his guards.

"Princess what are you doing here?" questioned Louise. She seemed to be far more interested in the wellbeing of her best friend than the ramblings of a supposed dead man.

"The Princess has decided to honor the vow she made here years ago and accompany me back to Albion," replied Wales.

"Princess he is not the man you knew. That man is no longer a part of this world," pleaded the small void mage.

"Louise you have never felt the kind of love that I feel for Wales. I know that he is not the same as the man I remember, but I will not let this final chance I have to be with him. The last order I will ever give you is to stand aside and do not interfere with our escape." Henrietta delivered her message with a quivering voice. Therum took advantage on Wales' distraction to use the last of his magical energy in a series of teleportations to retrieve his coat and its contents from the dead prince's grasp. Both royal members seemed surprised at this action but made no move to stop him as he put his coat back on and fastened his swords on his back after unshrinking them.

"Is that really what you want us to do Henrietta?" Therum asked the question without looking at the girl."

"Yes as my personal agents I order you to step aside and not impede our path any longer."

"You are free to go wherever you want Your Majesty. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the abomination you call a traveling companion. I may be a long way from home, but as a member of the Venenatus order I either have to kill him or die trying."

Henrietta stepped in front of Wales and brandished her crystal wand. "I will not let anyone harm him again!" As is sensing her mood the cloudy sky rumbled with thunder before unleashing a downpour.

"You see there you foolish man the heavens themselves favor us. A water user of Henrietta's caliber is invincible in the rain. What do you expect to do even with your fancy swords back? You can barely stand on your own two feet."

"That reminds me, I left you with a very nice sword Wales what happened to it? If memory serves the one on your belt was stuck in a wall the last time I saw it. That was probably my second favorite hilt design."

"You are an impressive craftsman if you can discern that level of detail in such a storm. I am forced to wield this sword because the one you left me will no longer accept me as its owner. It is currently in my courtyard waiting for one with the best interest of the country to come and claim it."

"That's an interesting turn of events. You must have had some insanely strong emotions to make it develop metal sentience that quickly. I digress, as much fun as it has been talking with you I am going to have to kill you now." Therum went to draw his sword only to stumble and fall to a knee in pain. Swinging that heavy hammer with his damaged ribs was not a good idea. Louise and Siesta tried to run to his assistance before he held up a hand to stop them. "Stay back, I have this under control."

"Are you insane? You can barely stand on your own two feet." Therum couldn't tell if the moisture on Louise's face was from the rain or if she was crying.

"I find myself agreeing with the girl. Even I would feel bad about killing you in this condition," taunted the prince.

Therum laughed lightly. "Water users aren't the only ones who can draw from the power of a storm." Finally managing to pull his stubborn sword free from its scabbard he thrust it into the ground and chanted a few words in an unknown language. Wales thought the annoying fool was done for when a bolt of lightning came down and struck him. Instead of him falling over dead though, the visible wounds on his face and hands began to close up and he took up a defiant stance.

"How is that even possible? You should be dead after taking a hit like that," shouted Wales.

"Your element is wind, Henrietta's is water, and mine is the flow of energy. Converting electricity to magic is one of my specialties. I am going to regret absorbing that much power later but for right now I should hold together long enough to rid the world of one more insult to nature. He sent a massive bolt of electricity flying towards the still stunned Wales. Therum was sure of his victory until Henrietta intercepted his attack with a massive wall of ice that absorbed his attack before disintegrating.

"I already told you. You cannot defeat a water user in the rain, and with the combined power of the royal families I will be rid of you." He joined his hands with Henrietta's hands on her wand and let out a brief incantation. The power of their attacks combined into a massive water cyclone. Targeted straight for Therum's exhausted friends. He could just flash over and run a sword through Wales again but Henrietta might could still maintain the spell long enough to hurt the others so that's not really an option.

"Louise you are the only one here lest with any serious magical reserves left. See if that fancy book of yours has anything useful to say. It should be in your pack next to the rest of the gear. I'll do what I can to stop the damn tornado." The girl was off towards the gear before he was even done speaking.

Therum cast the only spell he knew of that had a chance of holding back the tornado. Historically this particular spell would be cast by several powerful mages to block siege weapons during castle sieges. It is basically the magical equivalent of a castle wall or a force field. The only problem is that there are two very powerful casters powering the tornado and only one average powered magician to power the defense. By the time Louise returned claiming to have found the appropriate page in the book Therum had already burnt through his surplus power and was working his way back through his natural stores. Even with what help the other young mages were able to offer the shield was near failure with the water tornado still going strong. As a last resort he finally delved again into his darker knowledge. Using a small sacrifice of his own blood Therum called all the remaining necromantic energy from the zombies to strengthen the shield. The girls knew something was different when the words to his chant changed and the shield went from mostly transparent to a dark red color. The shield wall was actually starting to move away from the group when Louise finished her own spell and both the tornado and the shield dispersed.

Therum sheathed his sword before giving Louise a weak smile and collapsing face first into the mud. Next to Henrietta, Wales did much the same except he has the grace to fall on his back. Louise was torn between loyalties but quickly ran to check on Henrietta when the rest of the party crowded around the man who has saved their lives from a deluded monarch and her zombie lover.

**A/N This chapter was fun to write. Writing the antics between the gathered characters is always a lot of fun when there are a lot of them to bounce ideas between. I hope the action scenes came out alright. I like to tell myself I found a good balance between ensuring victory for the good guys and believability. I admit to giving my OC a lot of power at times but I try and balance it out with him having repercussions for trying to use too much power at once. On another note, I would really like to hear what you readers would think to me adding Saito into the story at some point as a familiar for Tiffiana or some such nonsense. I think I could make him meld into setting I have created pretty well or I could make him a comedic punching bag. Any opinions on the subject would be appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Feel free to ignore the previous chapter 15 for those of you who read it. I have finally found some of the inspiration that I originally had for this story and should be back to putting out periodic useful updates. **

** Chapter Sixteen: A Change of Pace**

It doesn't take a genius to tell that Louise Francois de la Vallière was not in a good mood. Ever since the whole love potion incident started a week ago, nothing had been going right in her mind. Her friend Siesta had finally made a move on her familiar and went way overboard in her pursuits. At first her actions had been easy enough to dismiss as the effects of the potion, but the girl's actions continued unabated even after being given an antidote. Then they had to travel out to Ragdorian Lake to confront an ancient water spirit for a vital ingredient in making the antidote which led to an incident with her friends Tabitha and to a lesser extent Kirche. Just as soon as they finished taking care of the task from the water spirit and cured Siesta, they were attacked by a group of undead Albion mages lead by the dead Prince Wales as he tried to abduct her dear friend Queen Henrietta. Fortunately thanks largely to her familiar they were able to defeat the mages and hold off a delusional Henrietta long enough for Louise to be able to cast another new Void spell that dispelled the magic keeping the corpses moving, along with the massive water tornado that was trying to tear their group apart.

Normally, after all the other crazy things that had happened to Louise in the last several months she would have been glad that the whole issue was behind her and moved on with her life. Henrietta finally got to say goodbye to Wales, before he returned to comfort of death's eternal sleep, after making him a promise before the water spirit to move on and find love again. She had a new spell to practice with. All of her friends were relatively unharmed and Siesta was completely cured of the love potion, even if she was a bit more forward than she had been before the whole incident started. The only snag keeping Louise from being able to put the events of those days behind her was firmly attached to her troublesome familiar. Whatever magic he had used during those final minutes of maintaining the shield spell had very effectively protected the group, but it left the idiot in an annoyingly deep coma. Nothing anyone tried seemed to have the slightest effect on the slumbering man. He slept straight through Henrietta's cries as she lost the love of her life for a second time in as many months. He slept through the carriage ride that brought the whole group back to the royal palace. He slept through the dozen square class water mages that tried to heal whatever was wrong with him. Now he slept through Louise's annoyed pacing and mutterings as she took her turn watching him in hopes of him waking up.

He finally woke up from his extensive nap right as Henrietta came into the room to check on her friend and the man whom she felt she owed a great debt to. Both girls started slightly when they hear his familiar tenor for the first time in days.

"Did anyone catch the number of that train?" he said as he slowly sat up while holding a hand to his head. Upon finally hearing him say something, Louise dove at him and enveloped the confused man in a very tight hug.

"I am so glad you are alright. I was beginning to worry that you might not ever wake up. You're an idiot. Don't you dare ever worry me like that again." The little pink haired mageling said between her joyful sobs. He feebly patted her on the back in an attempt to comfort the small girl.

"It'll take more than a bunch of walking corpses and an undead monarch to keep me from coming back to you little master." He ruffled her hair and gave her the most sincere smile he could muster. Thanks to the massive case of bed-head he was sporting the look came off looking more goofy than reassuring but still effectively lightened the mood in the room. Both girls currently in the room let out a slight giggle. "Glad to see that you are back to your normal charming self Henrietta."

"Yes, thanks to you I was able to keep from making a very dire mistake. I shudder to think what may have happened to my country if you and Louise had not been there to stop us." She releases an involuntary shudder.

"Think nothing of it milady." He would have said more but he was cut off by a rather loud grumble coming from his stomach. "Pardon me; it appears that any further discussion will have to take place over breakfast."

"It does not surprise me that you would be hungry. You have been unconscious for four whole days," commented Henrietta.

"Was I now?" he said with mild amusement. "That would make this my fourth longest length of unintended unconsciousness." He pretended to count on his fingers while talking. Louise gave him an incredulous look from her spot on the bed next to him.

"You like getting yourself injured don't you?" She asked with a slight hint of mirth in her voice.

"I don't like getting myself injured. Other people just seem to like injuring me. I'll tell you about the other incidents later. Now where are my clothes? I would like to get dressed and hopefully get something to eat in the very near future."

"Unfortunately your clothes were damaged beyond repair during the… incident. I couldn't find any of your other clothes in your bag on your saddle so I decided to have one of the better tailors in town make you something a little bit more fashionable." The man couldn't help but find amusement in how shy the ruler of a country was being. Especially with someone staying in her own palace, if rich decorations were anything to go on, the room was far too nice to be a hospital and didn't look like any that he had seen in the academy.

"I have another outfit shrunken down in my saddle bag. You just have to know the spell to un-shrink it. But if a charming lady such as yourself thinks I need to update my look who am I to argue? " Henrietta blushed slightly at the light compliment.

"Louise and I will leave you to get dressed. I will have a courier send letters to inform the others that you have finally awoken. The outfit and your other things are in the wardrobe in the corner. We chose to leave your swords tied to your saddle because nobody could touch them. It took a square class mage just to manage to levitate them enough to do that much. We can worry about that later though, for now please get yourself cleaned and dressed. There is a shower room through the door next to the wardrobe." Therum gave Louise a slight hug before she reluctantly joined her royal friend and left him to his business.

Therum shakily pulled himself out of the surprisingly comfortable four poster bed and made his way over to the wardrobe Henrietta had pointed out in a far from graceful manner. Inside he found his trusty overcoat and two sets of clothing. The first was the outfit that he had been wearing the day before. The black Armani suit pants and complimenting white button up shirt. They had been dutifully washed by one of the staff, but Henrietta was right they were torn to shreds and the white shirt still had some light red patches from blood stains. His white under shit was in much the same condition while fortunately his socks and black western styled boots seemed to have come out just fine. The second outfit was definitely more in line with what the nobles in the area would wear. The pants were a charcoal grey color and frilled out just a bit more than he would have liked. The shirt on the other hand hurt him hurt to look at. It had numerous ruffles and was a dark purple in color. He had nothing against frills or purple but he preferred them to be characteristics of a woman's dress, not his shirt. Shirts like this must be why the French consider a man's shirt to be a feminine noun. Deciding to deal with the fashion issues later, he went to have a relaxing shower hoping it would do something for his stiff muscles. His ability to ignore noncritical distressing information kept him from thinking about how he had been changed into the pajamas he currently wore.

***BREAK***

Sometime later, Henrietta and Louise were joined by the now conscious man being led by one of the palace maids. He was wearing the outfit left by the princess, much to her visible pleasure even if it was partially hidden under the man's trademark black coat.

"Hello again ladies," he greeted. "Are the others going to be joining us this morning?"

"Sadly they will not," came the reply from the lavender haired monarch. "All of your other companions had to return to their own obligations yesterday."

"That's a shame. I was hoping to let them know in person that I am harder to kill than people keep thinking I am."

"If you weren't so brash in your actions, you wouldn't keep getting into these messes."

"Now Louise, that hurts. I don't go looking for trouble it just seems to find me regardless." He took a seat at the table and began to help himself to the impressive array of food that had already been laid out. After the first two plates full of food disappeared Therum paused and looked around the room. "Where is Kistna? I would have thought that she would have been here to greet her lovable employer."

"In your absence, Kistna has taken to spending much of her time with Agnes. Last I saw of her they were heading to the east courtyard to work with the new recruits."

"Are you sure that was such a good idea Henrietta? The girl has a tendency to be a little over the top at times," was Therum's slightly worried reply.

"I thought so at first myself, but the faith that Her Majesty and Agnes have placed on your familiar has not been misplaced thus far. If anything, she has been acting in a much more dignified manner than she has in the past. I think being able to work with non-magical soldiers has made her feel much more at home than her life at the academy."

"That brings us to a point that I would like to talk to you both about," Henrietta cut in. "I have a couple of requests I would like to make to you both. One to you as a pair, and one specifically to you Therum."

"We will do anything in our ability to aid you Your Majesty… I mean Henrietta." Louise corrected herself after a mildly scathing look from her royal friend.

"The first request is in line with your positions as my secret operatives. I would like you to take on the identities of a couple of commoners and ingrain yourselves with the townspeople. I ask this because there are rumors of dissent and possible rebellion coming from some of the town's people. I would like to know how much truth there is in these rumors."

"That doesn't sound all that difficult. What's the second request?" asked Therum in between sipping his tea."

The young monarch seemed a bit flushed at the man's casual acceptance of her request so soon after being bed ridden for days. "I would like your permission to employ your familiar as one of our training instructors while you and Louise are working in town. I feel that you will have more success as a pair than a trio on this assignment and we are short on experienced instructors to work with the new recruits."

As Henrietta finished her question, Therum casually set his now empty cup down and placed his napkin over his plate to show he had finished eating. "I don't see a problem with that as long as she is willing to take the position. I may have dragged her here as my familiar but that doesn't mean I am comfortable forcing her to do anything she really doesn't wish to do."

"That's excellent!" Henrietta exclaimed "With the war going on the military really is in short supply of skilled officers to train the waves of new recruits. Kistna has shown a remarkable talent for instruction in the few days she has been here. Not to mention I believe she and Agnes have become fast friends."

"If you wouldn't mind Henrietta, why don't we go ahead and make our way down to the courtyard and see what the woman in question thinks of your offer. I would also like to stop by the stables and check on Widowmaker and the rest of my equipment. I would like to hear some more of the details of the assignment you have for Louise and I as we walk."

***BREAK***

"That was by far the worst excuse for swordsmanship I have ever seen Jamison. Have you had your head completely up your ass all morning or do you just like looking like an incompetent? Get out of my sight until you can at least remember the basics I taught you."

"I don't know Kistna I think he looked pretty good for a recruit." Kistna almost dropped her sword when she heard the familiar laughing voice behind her. Quickly steeling her features she turned around and casually addressed her master. Like hell she was going to let him out aloof her.

"Oh hey boss glad to see you are up and running again. Sure took you long enough considering you still look like shit." She casually walked over to her boss and threw her arm awkwardly around his tall shoulders. "By what measure have we simple soldiers earned the pleasure of such honorable guests?"

"I was originally hoping to save these poor greenhorns from the terror that is your method of instruction, but Her Majesty has asked me to do a favor for her over the next several weeks. As such she was wondering if you might be better off hanging out here working with the rookies."

The displaced familiar's face lit up as if she were a child that had been told that Christmas had come early. Several of the rookies noticeably paled.

"Of course I stepped in on your behalf and told her that you would hate having to be cooped up here all the time like that and declined the offer. I figured that you would have a lot more fun in town with us just talking to people and blending into everyday life."

Yep, Christmas came early and the girl got nothing but coal.

"I knew you were and idiot after that stunt you pulled back and wound up unconscious for nearly four days but I didn't think that you were stupid as well. What form of half reasoned illogical rationalization did you use to come up with that conclusion? There is no way that I would want to leave this gig to go play house in the city. These guys need all the help they can get if they don't want to get turned into mulch. Just look at Jamison over there. He just barely got the hang of the concept of "pointy end goes in bad guy."

"I was probably thinking that you are easy to rile up and fairly gullible. But I'm impressed; it looks like you have taken a liking to these recruits." Therum casually put some distance between himself and the rapidly reddening warrior.

"Why you no goo piece of shit. I'll put you straight back into that coma!"

"You wouldn't hit an injured man would you?" The now smirking man hastened his retreat as the target of his mirth began to advance on him training sword in hand.

"Normally I wouldn't, but in your case I am willing to make an exception." She lunged at the man who just barely managed to evade the blow. The two noble young women and the platoon of trainees watched the sword wielding woman take off in pursuit of the tall man with varying degrees of humor.

"I wish I could say that was unexpected Your Majesty but I can't in good conscience lie to you." Louise said with a drawn out sigh. "At least Kistna seems to be willing to accept your job offer while Therum and I are in town."

"I have come to much the same conclusion Louise Francois. Do you suppose that we should go after them? I know that your familiar is plenty capable of taking care of himself but I would hate to see him injured again."

"Agreed Your Majesty." Louise fell into step behind her royal friend wearing a mask of calm resignation. Couldn't that man go more than an hour without getting into some sort of trouble?

***BREAK***

It took the two noble ladies several minutes to catch up to the pair of familiars. For someone who just came out of a coma the guy could cover a lot of ground quickly if given enough reason. Louise and Henrietta simply chose to follow the trail of destruction caused by the two living wrecking balls. Eventually the trail came to an end at the castle stables. Judging by the sounds coming from within the two friends concluded that either Kistna had finally caught up with Therum or one of the stable masters had started breeding particularly unpleasant trolls. A particularly loud crash finally encouraged the girls to take a look at what was going on inside the building. If the people of Tristain had invented cameras what they saw would have made for eternal blackmail material.

From the look of things Kistna had indeed caught up with her boss and given him a right good thrashing for making her worry about him as well as the joke from this morning. Unfortunately the woman had forgotten that this happened to be the stable that the hands had given up for housing Therum's horse. A horse that didn't particularly like women to begin with but especially didn't like ones that beat the stuffing out of his master. Seeing the situation at hand the horse did what any good horse would do. He kicked the no good female straight in the butt sending her flying across the stable.

As chance would have it the animal either had remarkably good aim or comically terrible aim as Kistna's unexpected flight landed her right on top of where Therum had been left in a heap after his completely justifiable beating. During her tumble she somehow landed with the face buried in her master's crotch while he was getting an extreme close-up of her posterior.

A light throat clearing from the direction of the door alerted the Master once removed and his familiar to the presence of the new arrivals. Ever the prankster Therum decided to turn his unfortunate situation into an opportunity to mess with his little master again.

"Ah Yeah do you two think that you could come back a bit later? We're a little on the busy side at the moment." Despite all odds the man managed to keep a straight face.

Henrietta turned a light shade of pink and bashfully looked away while Louise made a valiant effort to impersonate the color of Kirche's hair.

"What do you think you are doing with her you pervert?" She had lost much of her temper over the last several months but Louise was still gullible and prone to jumping to some of the worst conclusions possible.

"Easy Louise don't go attacking him just yet." Kistna interrupted the small girl as she carefully removed herself from the compromising position. "He didn't do anything this time. It was all that dumb horse's fault."

The warrior woman pointed accusingly at the animal in question. Henrietta having heard some of the reports from the stable boys could easily believe that Therum's horse had something to do with the earlier crash they heard that obviously lead to the current situation. It may have just been the low lighting in the stable but she could almost swear that the beast had a self satisfied look about it. The fact that there were two horse shoe shaped impressions on Kistna's backside merely provided further evidence to her accusation.

"Don't take your anger out on Widowmaker Kistna. He's just trying to protect me from your overly forward advances. It's not his fault that you can't keep your hands off me. If I were you I'd be into me too. " Therum heckled his feathered familiar as he dusted himself off.

"Hate to burst your bubble boss but you just aren't my type. I prefer my partner to have more interest in scabbards than swords." She waved her hand as a dismissal before turning her attention to the former princess. "Before I decide whether or not to release some more pent up aggression out on him or not, was he telling the truth when he said that you wanted to hire me to help teach the newbies?"

"He was telling the truth. I have seen your skill for myself as well as how seamlessly you have integrated into working with Captain Agnes. If you are willing I would like to enlist your services and expertise alongside her for the remainder of this war as her co-captain. You would join her normal duties such as patrols, training recruits, and when needed support in more covert operations."

"You mean that I can be an actual soldier again instead of some sort of undisciplined roaming freelancer? I would give my left wing to wear a uniform again and you are just offering me an officer's commission. Sign me up Your Majesty! No offense boss, but your lack of any sort of plan just isn't my style."

"Who am I to stand in your way if this is what you want to do? Your situation is pretty similar to my own. You were dragged to this world against your will by a slightly insane magician and bound into a lifelong contract of servitude. If I had it to do over again knowing what I know now I would never have summoned you here. Nobody deserves that."

"Don't beat yourself up boss. My life back home sucked. The military was about the only thing I had going for me what with being a disgrace to the family art and everything. You guys have been great to me and I am used to serving under someone else so I kinda see you more as a slightly higher ranked fellow soldier than an evil overlord. Besides if I ever decide that I really don't want to be tied to you any more I'm sure that you know some kind of super secret spell that could free me anyway."

By now Therum had made his way over to where the other three were standing so Kistna gave him a playful punch in reassurance. He winced slightly at the action and mumbled a half hearted affirmation to her statement before joining the energetic woman with a chuckle of his own. Unbeknownst to him Louise had been watching his actions with increasing scrutiny since he had joined them for breakfast that morning. The way he responded to Kistna's passing final comment sent an alarm off in Louise's head. By know she knew him well enough to know that he was hiding something from the rest of them. His movements were uncharacteristically sloppy and he interacted with her and the others as if he were putting on an act after a particularly traumatic experience. She swore that she could 'feel' his turmoil through their connection.

Most people would normally write off the strangeness as a side effect of the time he spent unconscious after their last adventure but that explanation did not sit well with the girl. Something happened between the time he woke up and the time he joined them for breakfast. Whatever it is that has him down, she would get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later. As she came out of her own thinking she caught a parting comment from Henrietta asking her and Therum to join the monarch for dinner after she dealt with the paperwork necessary to enlist Kistna into the Musketeers. As the other two left Therum visibly sagged and leaned against one of the stable doors. Louise decided that there's no time like the present.

"Therum are you doing alright? You have pushed yourself awfully hard today considering you were just in a coma." The small pinkette took a spot in the wall across from her familiar.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just got a little winded running from Kistna like that. I'll be tip top by tomorrow I promise."

He waived the girl off as if to say that she was worrying about nothing. The small motion however drew the girl's attention to the back of the man's hand. The runes that marked their contract were still in their proper place but the second set of markings from his life before coming to Tristain were no longer visible. If memory served right he has once said that circle was what connected him to the room he summoned on his first full day as her familiar. They were the physical anchor needed to keep the multiverse from reclaiming the small piece of reality that he had carved away for himself.

"When did the markings on your hand disappear?" she asked.

"What are you talking about Louise? They are right where they have always been." He showed the crest on the back of his right hand.

"You know as well as I do that I am not talking about that hand. What happened to the ones that were under your familiar contract runes?" The diminutive girl crossed her arms and glared at the older man in front of her.

"There are consequences in life for every decision we make Louise." He said in an almost whisper. "The shield spell I was using to hold back Henrietta's attack took far more power to maintain than I had available to me so I improvised to buy you all more time. When I ran out of mana I switched over to using the remaining life energy in the reanimated corpses we fought. When that proved to be insufficient I started to augment the feed with my own life force. The result is that I no longer had enough energy to spare to maintain the connection between me and the room so the laws of the multiverse reasserted themselves and closed the connection for good."

"You are a bigger idiot than I thought. You could have killed yourself doing that. There is a reason that blood magic is forbidden."

"Let me remind you of a little fact Louise. If I had not done what I did, you, Tabitha, Kirche, Guiche, Monomneratcy, Kistna, and even myself would have almost certainly been killed. You are right what I did was dark magic that could have and nearly did kill me, but my intention was pure so can you honestly stand there and tell me that what I did was wrong?" Therum crossed the small gap between the two of them while he spoke.

The small pinkette looked up at her familiar with tears in her eyes and started punching him in the chest. "I was so scared that I had lost you for real this time you idiot. You don't know what it was like for me before you came here. I was taunted and teased by my classmates I was a complete failure as a mage and even my own family with the exception of my sickly big sister looked down on me for my lack of progress. I can't go back to that again. I won't survive the loneliness again." Before long she wore herself out and just sobbed as he gently consoled her.

When the girl's sobs finally came to a stop Therum held her out at arm's length. "Listen to me Louise. Nothing that has changed for you these past months has been because my efforts. Sure I may have nudged you in a particular direction but all the work you have put in to improve has been all you. You may not realize it yet but you have a great inner strength just waiting to be awakened. You would not have summoned me if it were not the case."

"You are just saying that to make me feel better," she pouted."

"I hardly think so. Someday you will be one of the most powerful mages in the world. Lesser magi such as me would kill for the potential that you possess."

"Now I know that you are lying. I have never met another mage who could have held off a hexagon attack from the royal family like you did. I have never seen you fail at a spell even once. Even people like Tabitha make small mistakes on occasion."

"I have most of the knowledge accumulated by possibly the most powerful sorcerer in my world that he accumulated over nearly a hundred years of study and I still see more potential in you. Over half of the spells that I know I can never use due to either alignment issues or a simple lack of power. After the incident last week the latter group has gotten even larger. In your case though, not only do you have the raw power to do what I cannot, but your status as a void mage may allow you to achieve feats that Alexander himself could only dream of."

"If what you say is true then why do I still mess up so much with anything that isn't a void spell?"

"I have practical knowledge of how to execute a lifetime's worth of spells but I only have about three years of theory study. If I had to guess I would say that there are a number of reasons why you can't do other elemental spells. First being that your affinity is much more strongly polarized than the average person and second stemming from that is you need more practice."

"How am I supposed to get more practice if everything I do ends in an explosion?"

"That's easy little master. You practice the spells you can do and over time the ability to do others will come as you grow more familiar with your own magic. Haven't you noticed that you have been having more success with basic non-element spells since you first started learning Void? Little things like locking, light, and other small spells come more naturally now don't they?"

"I suppose I may have had a little more success with some of the easier spells than I used to," she mumbled more to herself than to him.

"I you want I could teach you another pretty simple spell right now."

"What kind of spell? I really don't want to make a mess of anything here at the palace."

"Don't worry about it is a really simple spell. It was one of the first that I mastered myself as a matter of fact. I am going to teach you how to undo the shrinking spell that I use from time to time. With my room gone everything that I now own is either in my saddle bag or in my pockets."

"Oh Therum I am so sorry I just realized that losing your room meant more than just losing a place to sleep. I am sure that my father can help you replace most of the things that you lost."

"Don't worry about it Louise they were just material things. Most of the things in there are easily replaceable if I ever get back to Earth. The things that were really important to me are either already lost or kept on my person. Now please try to focus. My mana is still dangerously low so I can't do this myself and I would like to get it over with before we have to meet with Henrietta."

"In light of recent events I will forgive your rudeness and help you with this task. What do you need me to do?"

"Like I said my mana, or willpower as I believe you call it, has not restored to usable levels yet so I need to teach you the counter to my shrinking spell so I can take stock of what I still have to work with. I may even try to teach you the shrinking spell itself if you are good. Fortunately it looks like they left everything in the saddle alone so I don't have to go hunting for anything.

***BREAK***

"Thank you for your assistance Louise it would have taken me several days to get this all sorted using arrays while my reserves try to stabilize."

"I still can't believe that you got all this stuff to fit into that one bag."

She looked at the fair sized pile of "traveling essentials" that she had been working to unshrink for nearly an hour after Therum had taught her the process. She knew many nobles who packed a lot less for a trip than what Therum claimed to be the essentials. Still, she took no small pride in the fact that she got the hang of the spell after the second attempt. It felt surprisingly similar to the '_Dispell' _from the Founder's prayer book.

"I wish I had more time when packing all this stuff. There is so much more I would have brought with me." Louise face palmed at his seemingly innocent comment.

"What more do you need to have on your person than all of this? You have items here that I have never even seen before."

"This barely counts as a standard adventuring kit Louise. I only have four days of MRE rations left for one person. I have one pistol with three boxes of ammunition, two chances of clothes, a very basic potion set with no reagents, a single hunting knife, and a couple hundred feet of rope." Therum mumbled mostly to himself as he sorted through the various items scattered around the corral behind the stable. "Oh wait there's the tent and the hammock so at least I'm not completely homeless, and my swords are none the worse for wear. All in all I could be a lot worse off."

"What's in the two black cases off to the side there?" Louise asked as she idly fiddled with the large black revolver that Therum had used to distract the undead soldiers previously. She was trying to wipe off the dirt from when he dropped it favor of the hammer.

"First off Louise be very careful with that. You never know if a gun is loaded or not so don't point it at anyone. Second those cases each contain enough explosives to level the palace to the ground a couple times over."

"How could something so small do so much damage?" Louise had dropped the gun and alternated between staring at the cases and Therum.

"Firstly they are much bigger on the inside than they appear thanks to some very clever enchantments, and then they contain very powerful explosives from my homeland designed specifically to topple buildings."

"And you just walk around with this kind of thing in your bag all the time?" She deadpanned.

"I spent two years of my life as part of an organization that specialized in finding and destroying supernatural enemies to humanity. I learned that you can never be too prepared especially when your magic is as limited and temperamental as mine is at the moment."

"You keep saying that your magic is not working right now what does that even mean?"

"Well in simple terms it means that right now I have no willpower to do spells with. Every scrap that my body can get seems to be going to trying to undo the damage I did to myself while maintaining that shield. Until that process is done I am more or less like any other non-magical person."

"That's terrible. How long will it take before you can use magic again?" To Louise nothing imaginable could be worse than losing her magic now that she was making progress at it.

"Hard to say really," he shrugged. "It could be as soon as this evening or it could be years. All I know is that despite whatever Henrietta had done to me I am still not near back to top form. Kistna's beating didn't exactly help either."

"Do you have any sort of elixir that could speed up the process? What about that one that you gave me that one time for battle mages?"

"Something like that might work to speed up the process but I only have a precious few doses of such potions and no way to replace them with the loss of my stores. Since Henrietta wants us to go on this assignment under the guise of commoners I think it would be best to wait and see what happens for now."

What are you going to do with all this stuff in the mean time? It would be unwise to just leave it all in the open."

"I figured that I'd keep most of it in my pockets for now."

"Now I know you're joking with me Therum. There is no way that all this stuff would fit in your pockets even if you could shrink it down first."

"Oh ye of little faith. Watch and see little master." Steadily item by item she watched as he made all the various items disappear into the folds of his coat. By the time he was finished, the only things to remain were the two black cases and his camping equipment.

"I thought you said that you could do any magic right now," Therum had to fight not to laugh at the small girl's attempt to look menacing.

"It wasn't me it was the jacket. With the help of some friends I enchanted it to hold an almost comical number of items. It does all the work of shrinking and sorting for me. All I have to do is think what I want out of it and remember what pocket it's in and the rest is as you saw, only in reverse."

"If you can do that then why do you ever bother to shrink down items in the first place?"

"The enchantments have limits Louise. There is a limit to how large of an item I can fit inside the openings of these pockets due to how the enchantment works so something like my motorcycle would have never worked. Not only would it not fit but I can't pick it up in the first place to get it near enough to work."

"Couldn't you just shrink the item first?"

"Nope. One shrinking magic tends to negate the other. That's why I didn't try to pack up the explosives despite them being dangerous."

"Wait a minute. I clearly remember you taking a sword out of your pocket before and then unshrinking it. How do you explain that?"

"Aurora has a much more stable and significantly more complicated spell woven into its framework that allows it to alter its shape."

"I don't even know why I ask anymore. Are you done yet? It is getting late and we still need to go over the details of our mission with the princess."

"I would say that we should be good for now little master." He stood with some visible effort and a mild groan. "That's the other reason I don't put too much stuff in these pockets. It'll hold whatever you want but it only cancels 75% of the weight. The rest gets distributed throughout the area of the coat. Damn thing weighs nearly a hundred pounds now."

"Quit complaining and get moving. If you weren't such a reckless idiot you wouldn't be having this problem right now. It is rude to make a lady wait let alone two nobles."

"As you wish."

**A/N: I hope this chapter is not too much of a letdown for those of you who have been waiting for a real update. As usual feel free to call me out on any mistakes and I am always open to suggestions. As far at this chapter is concerned its purpose was mainly to wrap up the events of what happened in the last chapter and bridge into the next phase of the story. I tweaked a few of the plot points that I thought did more harm than good to the story and set a few more in motion. Once again thanks for reading and if it moves you feel free to give your opinion.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Blending In**

Early the following morning a pair approached the commercial center of Tristania riding a midsized black stallion. The one in front was a tall brown haired man wearing a white button shirt with charcoal grey pants and black riding boots under an oddly heavy coat given the warm weather. The second rider was a waifish pink haired girl wearing a simple black dress and a small black hat that was popular with the younger women of the city. Fortunately with so many refugees from the war filtering into the town from all over the country they were paid little attention. If anyone has passed by the pair they would have been more than a little confused by the conversation taking place between the two apparently non-noble travelers, however.

"I can't believe that we only have six hundred gold pieces to last us for the duration of our mission. I can't even buy my own horse with this." The pink haired girl lamented for the third time in as many hours to her traveling companion.

"Why would you need your own horse Louise?" The girl's companion questioned from his place in front of her. "I already have Widowmaker to meet our traveling needs, and besides we are supposed to be blending in with the people not strutting around like stuck up nobles."

"It may be easy for you to live as a peasant since you can't even do magic anymore and grew up without it anyway, Therum, but it is different for me. I am just starting to get the hang of my birthright and now I have to toss away my identity so shortly after gaining it. With this much money we can't even afford a decent hotel for more than a couple weeks along with the cost of stabling your stupid horse." The horse in question decided to swat the girl at that moment for her most recent jab.

"Weren't you just saying that you wanted another horse that we would have to pay to stable as well? You don't exactly understand how incomes and budgets work do you?" He deadpanned over his shoulder to the girl. "If you want to succeed in this task, the luxuries that you are so used to are going to have to be done away with for the duration of our stay in this town. As it stands Louise it looks like we will have to either find employment somewhere in town to supplement our funds, or stay in a hotel that is significantly less posh than you are used to, most likely some combination of the two."

"A person of my stature should not have to work like a commoner or stay in a cheap hotel. As my familiar I order you to correct these grievances immediately."

"I'm afraid that I cannot fulfill that request little master. Even if I could use my magic right now. Henrietta asked us to integrate into the population. We cannot do that if all we do is live in fancy hotels and dine at fine restaurants. I will let you do what you wish the money you have been given but I intent to look for a job at the very least. You managed well enough while we were out treasure hunting so I would think that you could put up with a little discomfort in service of queen and country." Therum brought the horse to a stop and helped his smaller companion down from their ride as they came to the center of the capital city.

"Fine then I will find a way to make more money without you. I'll show you what a noble is capable of when she sets her mind to something." Therum smiled to himself as he watched his technical employer storm off down the street. He figured he would find her in an hour or so after she managed to cool off a little. He still had a few hundred coins himself leftover from selling his fountain pens last time he was in the city, so he may as well find a place for him and Louise to stay while in town.

***BREAK***

A couple hours after the pair had split up, Therum found Louise sitting with her head in her hands quietly sobbing to herself next to a large fountain. He assumed that it would be safe to say that she had not had a lot of success increasing their mission funds. She also seemed no worse for wear physically so he was able to squash the mild fear that some mugger would have found her easy prey. Not wanting to hurt her feelings any more than they had already been he just sat down beside her and gently put his arm around her, startling her briefly. When the small mage realized who he was she quickly buried her face in his shirt and continued to cry.

After crying for several more minutes, she managed to sob out her story. "There was a sign that promised that I could easily multiply my money outside this place called a casino so I went inside. There were all sorts of people exchanging money with each other around these little tables with spinning wheels so I decided to give it a try. I actually made some money by making some small bets but it was taking too long so I deiced that it would be much smarter to make one large bet on one of the little numbers. I missed the slot by one and they took all my money even when I told them I was on a mission from the princess. There is no way we can continue now, and I have completely failed Her Majesty."

Therum gently placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry Louise all you lost was money. We will find a way work things out somehow. I promised that I would help you with this task and that is exactly what I intend to do. We will make it through this no matter what; I promise you that."

"Do you really mean that Therum? Can we still complete our objective? How will we continue without any money?" The sad desperate look in the girl's face mixed with more than a hint of hopefulness gave the man a slight feeling of guilt. If he had gone with her she wouldn't be in this situation right now, while on the other hand she wouldn't have learned a valuable lesson either. Despite the months in each other's company she was still a very sheltered girl.

"I meant every word I said. I have enough money to see us by for a few days at least at a reasonably priced inn but we are probably both going to have to take jobs to supplement my funds." Noticing Louise's face fall again, he added, "Don't forget that if we have jobs it will be easier to meet and talk to many people than if we were to try and strike up conversation in the street."

"I suppose if it is to aid Her Majesty then I have no choice do I?" She said a bit sullenly.

"Excellent. I saw a number of businesses around town advertising open positions. I am sure that we can find something for the two of us to do. For tonight though, I found a reasonably priced place to stay. I'll warn you now though; the proprietor is a little odd."

***BREAK***

"You said the owner of this place was weird. You failed to mention that it was a brothel run by a man who thinks he's a woman." Louise said with obvious ire after the pair had retired to their shared room for the night.

"First off Louise, this place is not a brothel. It's more of a bistro inn combination than anything. Secondly, it's the nicest place I could find in our price range that also had a place to keep the horse. Besides, it's a busy place with lots of people coming through, both noble and otherwise, so it should be a perfect base to work from."

"It is still degrading for a noble of my stature to have to live in such conditions. If father or mother were to see me now they would be furious. They might Even disown me for shaming the family!" She lamented.

"You probably should have thought of that before you became a secret agent for the Queen. Great sacrifices must be made in the service of your country from time to time. And must I remind you that were I not using my own money to fund a mission for a government that is not my own, you could very well be in a much worse predicament. For the time being you at least have a clean dry place to sleep and a friend to look out for you. That is more than many in this city can say."

"I suppose so, but they are just commoners. They are used to living like this they don't know any better. I was born a noble so I do know better and I hate having to live below my status." Therum let out a sigh.

"Perhaps you should just go back to the palace and tell Henrietta that this task is too much for you. I will stay behind and find out what I can. If you need I am sure that Kistna would be willing to take over as your primary guardian while I am gone."

"NO! I don't care how uncomfortable I have to be. I cannot go back to the palace without finding out something about the dissension and plotters against the crown."

"I knew there was steel in you, little master," he chuckled. "I understand that this task will be difficult for you, but I believe that you have all the strength you will need to rise to the occasion. Just try not to let your temper get the better of you lest you blow out cover. 'As well as everything else nearby.'"

"I am a noble whose family history goes back to the time of the founder. If simple uneducated peasants can learn to live in this city then so can I."

"Word of advice Louise, when you are around us poor lowborn savages I would try to avoid words like: uneducated, simple, and peasants. Firstly because it is rude and more importantly, we are trying to blend in as commoners."

"I know that." She at least had the courtesy to look a little embarrassed at her unintentional jab at her familiar and friend. "I wasn't talking about you, you know."

"I know you weren't intentionally but something you need to remember is that sweeping generalizations and categorizing people is usually not a good idea. I am not nobility and will likely never be. As far as the rules of this world are concerned I am technically not much more than a pet."

"Don't interrupt yet," he cut her off as she was about to make an argument. "I came along on this ridiculous mission to help two of my friends. I couldn't care less about whether or not the people in this city are for or against this war. All I want to do is make sure that no harm comes to either you or Henrietta. Whether we stop an insurrection or just waste our time sightseeing around the city makes no difference to me."

"I don't care about your reasons Therum; you were right when you said that you are not a noble, and with the loss of your magic you will likely not become one either, but you are still my familiar. As long as you do what I ask when I need something done you are free to think as much or as little of my actions as you like. Just keep your council to yourself unless asked to give it. Now if you will excuse me it has been a long day and I am tired. Please wake me at dawn."

Rather than scold the girl for acting like a spoiled child, Therum briefly acknowledged her request before heading down to the tavern section of the inn for a drink. As it was not particularly late there were still a number of patrons being served by one of the many serving girls dressed in frilly outfits closely resembling a French maid costume. Therum took a seat at one of the worn but otherwise well maintained tables and waited for one of the girls to have time to take his order.

"Mr. Magnus, I trust everything in your room is just fabulous?" The voice that drove Therum from is observation of the servers was most definitely not what the weary man was expecting. Instead of the feminine and mildly flirtatious tones he had been expecting, he got the more than mildly unsettling falsetto of the tavern's very confused proprietor.

"Yes Mr. Scarron the room is just fine. As a matter of fact, my cousin is resting from our travels as we speak."

"Tres Bien! But if you are going to be staying here for a while, I insist that you call me Mi Mademoiselle. Everyone who lives or works here does so." The large well muscled man swooned as he spoke, making his tenant more than a little uncomfortable. Apparently there is a reason the inn is named the Charming Fairies.

"Of course Mi Mademoiselle. Would you please ask one of the girls to grab me a bottle of brandy when they have a moment? I find myself needing a drink tonight." '_I knew the price for this place was suspiciously low.'_

" No no no, Don't be silly I will fetch you your drink myself. I must warn you that normally such a drink is not ordered here so I am not sure if I even have anything like that in stock."

"That will be just fine. I'm sure that whatever you have in stock will be more than adequate. I've lost my way of life, my home, and most of my possessions. I may as well enjoy the little things in life while I can." He mumbled the last bit as the larger strange man sashayed to the back of the building.

Several minutes later, Scarron returned carrying a glass and a small dust covered barrel. "This is the only brandy that I have at the moment. It has been down in the cellar since I bought this place. Unfortunately it is likely to ruin before I can sell it all so I would have to sell you the whole amount."

"I do not have all that much coin available right now but how much are you asking?"

"I would say that 75 gold pieces should more than cover the cost, including my tip, don't you?" If any of the other waitresses had preformed the action the large man was trying it would have been found cute if not downright erotic. Unfortunately Scarron is a bulky middle aged man and as such made Therum want a drink that much more. Some speculate that this is a conscious business practice to sell more liquor on the man's part.

"I do not believe that I have that kind of coin to spare my friend. Would you be willing to make a trade instead? I have something of value with me but I would not be willing to give it up for a single cask of liquor no matter what the quality."

"I do not remember you or your companion traveling with much luggage. If you are offering what I fear you are I will have you thrown out of my establishment so fast it'll make your head spin. This is a decent place." The large man dropped into his natural low tenor to help make his point.

It took a moment for Therum to figure out what the previously friendly innkeeper had thought he was offering when he remembered the moody young girl upstairs.

"Mr. Scarron let me make one thing perfectly clear. The outrage you displayed upon thinking that I would make an offer like that is the only reason I am not beating you senseless. The girl upstairs is just about the only thing keeping me in this world let alone in a country I am not a citizen of in a war that I am bound to get caught up in."

Scarron may be a bit of an oddity but he is far from stupid. In that brief moment he made two realizations from the look in the eyes across from him even through the lenses of the glasses the other man wore. The younger man before him had seen hell and would happily visit it back upon anyone who angered him, and he was a man with a strong enough moral code to not search for violence when it can be avoided.

"Tres Bien then! Let's hear this offer you have then."

"If you will give me just a moment I need to retrieve something from my room then." Without another word Therum made his way back to the room he and Louise were sharing. Making sure to make as little noise as possible he entered the room. As predicted his little summoner had fallen asleep in the short time he had been away. Taking care not to wake her, he tucked the girl into bed and exited the room again after grabbing his coat, grunting slightly at the weight.

"I trust you found what you were looking for?" Apparently Scarron had calmed down enough to resume his falsetto.

"Indeed I did." Therum reached into the inner breast pocket of his coat and removed a fair sized gold ingot. He carefully slid the bar across the table for inspection. "I will give you this in exchange for a month's room and board, stabling for the horse, the brandy, and a job for my companion, Louise."

Not saying a word, Scarron picked up the ingot and started inspecting it carefully. After a couple minutes of toying with the bar he set it back on the table.

"This is much too much for what you are asking in return. I simply cannot so much over payment. With the war going on this will likely double in value in months."

"Well you did say something about a tip did you not?" Therum played a variant of one of his usual predatory smiles. "Just don't tell Louise about out deal, before this she was a very sheltered girl and needs to believe that her survival depends on actually holding a job."

"We have a rule not to ask about anyone's past here. You are among friends, but I still cannot accept so much payment." Therum held up his hand to cut the man off.

"Excuse me everyone," Therum stood up and addressed the remaining patrons, "I have been talking to the manager here and we have come to agreement. Drinks are on the house for the night. Enjoy and don't forget to tip your waitress!"

"Feel free to cut them off when they have drunk all of my change. Now if you would care to join me Mi Mademoiselle, I am going to have that drink, or twelve."

"Tres Bien, but of course I will join you."

**A/N: Not so much a whole chapter as much as another intermission while I figure out what to do. It is short but I like the tradition of ending a chapter when Therum is rendered of soon to be rendered unconscious. I have been swamped with school and work so I have been limited in how much I have been able to write; that and a massive writer's block. I have had an ending in mind for this story for a very long time I just don't know how to fill in the middle bits without just completely doing away with cannon. If you want to offer suggestions on how the rest of the war should go feel free to drop a comment or a PM. I carefully read everything sent my way even if I don't use the suggestion or manage to respond in a timely manner. **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Trouble Magnet

Louise knew that something was wrong the moment that she woke up. For the first time in months it was the sound of birdsong that broke the hold of Morpheus over her instead of a comforting tenor. A cursory glance around the small inn room revealed that neither her familiar nor his coat was present but both of his swords remained where he had set them the night before. For the time being she decided to take that as a good sign that he at least intended to return eventually.

She once again donned the simple city clothes they had bought for her disguise and made her way down to the tavern. Therum was likely to be found nearby, and if not she could at least find out what kind of meager rations these commoners passed off as breakfast. She would make Therum pay for a proper meal later a penance for not waking her up.

The sight that greeted her at the bottom of the stairs was in complete contrast to the worn but otherwise spotless interior of the night before. Several people lay passed out in various positions throughout the bar, and several of the tables and chairs were either broken or visibly damaged in one way or another. There was no doubt in her mind that her familiar was in some way responsible for the chaos before her. Unfortunately he was nowhere to be located in the mix of sleeping bar patrons. She even checked the back area of the tavern where the kitchen was located to no avail. Aggravated that her breakfast was going to be further delayed, Louise helped herself to an apple from an open barrel before going back to her room. That good for nothing would have much to answer for when he finally did show his face again. She would make sure of that.

***BREAK***

In a neighboring room to the one that the pink haired mage was plotting in, the man she sought was waking up from the best dream he could remember in recent history. Or at least he thought it was a dream until he felt something warm and soft bump against him. Looking behind him he was greeted by the sight of one of the fairies who apparently lived at the inn she works at. Desperately he tried to recall any details from the night before but only could remember hazy bits and pieces after he and Scarron started drinking.

He shifted his weight around to better look at the girl trying to put a name with a face. He vaguely remembered the girl interrupting his shots with the older man to deal with a particularly drunk patron. After that things get foggy again until waking up to a head of unfamiliar chestnut hair.

"Good morning." She sleepily greeted when his movements woke her up.

"Um, good morning to you too." he answered awkwardly. "I'm terribly sorry, but for the life of me I can't seem to remember anything about last night. I didn't do anything improper last night did I?"

"That would depend on what you consider improper," she giggled. "You single handedly stopped three fights last night even though you started two of them while breaking a lot of furniture in the process. You got into an arm wrestling match with Mademoiselle Scarron, which you lost by the way, over the broken furniture. And finally you were taken advantage of by a much more sober unmarried young woman."

"Good thing I wasn't drinking tequila then. I don't think the building would have survived if that had been the case." He halfheartedly laughed.

"My name's Jeanne by the way."

"Therum Magnus at your service, pleasure to make your acquaintance." The two awkwardly shook hands, causing the sheets to fall leaving little to the imagination.

"I'm pretty sure that we have already been acquainted, but it is nice to do so again now that we will both remember it."

"Oh wait I am pretty damn sure I didn't use any protection in the state that I was in. What if something comes up after I'm gone?"

"Don't worry about it. I have my ways around such trivial matters. As a matter of fact I don't have to work until this evening, so we could spend some time getting to know each a little more intimately." She ran a couple of fingers down his exposed chest.

"As much as I would really like to take you up on that offer Jeanne. I have to check on my companion before she becomes even more irate than she probably already is."

"OH I am so sorry! I didn't realize that you were traveling with your lover. You must think I am a terrible person." The girl went scarlet and tried to hide he face with the edge of her sheets.

"It's nothing like that trust me. Louise and I are not romantically involved in any way, but I am responsible for her safety."

"Thank the Founder, that's a relief. I would hate to come between two people over one night of drunken fun. I'm such a terrible person."

"Think nothing of it." He put his hand on the girl's head. "Just next time try to make sure I am lucid enough to do my part, or at least tell you my relationship status. Now I sadly have to be going. I'll probably see you later this evening." He quickly gathered up his scattered garments dressed and exited the pouting girl's room stopping only to steal a chase kiss.

_'I am going to have to move fast if I want to seal my claim on him before one of the other girls do. It wouldn't be the first time that Jessica has stolen a man from one of us just because of her stupid udders.' _She thought as she watched the man leave. After all any guy who would walk out on a naked willing girl to attend to someone he wasn't in a relationship with was either insanely loyal or preferred a different kind of company. She highly doubted it to be the latter.

***BREAK***

"Louise, are you awake yet?" Therum asked while barely cracking the door to the room he should have slept in last night. Maybe she would be in a better mood this morning.

"Yes I am. I think that you may have some explaining to do Therum." Or not. Being the brave man he is, he went ahead and entered the room.

"Would you care to explain why the inn downstairs looks like a traveling group of orcs passed through? Or more importantly, why did some big breasted commoner just stop by here with that outfit saying that I start my first day at five tonight?" The outfit in question was a white maid costume similar to the ones worn by the rest of the fairies.

"The outfit is the uniform worn by the girls who work here. I convinced the manager to give you a job to help us pay for the rent on this room. As for the tavern, I'm told that several of the patrons got a little too much liquor in them last night and started a fight or three amongst them."

"You actually expect me to wear that embarrassing costume and wait on commoners?" Already in a bad mood from hunger, Louise's face quickly reddened to match her hair in a mix of rage and embarrassment.

"That's about the gist of it. Unfortunately you don't have all that many skills to fall back on. You are getting pretty good at wielding Derflinger, and your magic is improving steadily now that you know what to work on, but next to nothing in the way of domestic skills. Being a waitress is about the best mundane job you are going to find."

"I am the Daughter of a Duke. I am above such menial tasks."

"Louise," Therum sighed, "if you are afraid that you can't do this job you can tell me. Some people just aren't cut out to take care of themselves."

"I am more than capable of doing such a simple job. I have been trained in the social arts by the best instructors money can buy. I will show these simple commoners charm like they have never seen." She threw her hair over her shoulder in a display of haughty self assurance.

"That's more like it Louise. The main thing you need to remember is to keep your temper under control. For the time being, you are not a daughter of Duke Vallière. You are a poor refugee who took this job so that you won't starve. The men you serve are likely to be insulting and vulgar to the humblest of people let alone a proud noble like you. Just try to think of them as one of your father's less savory business associates. Do your business, treat them better than they deserve, and if necessary plot their painful death in a less public place."

"If I am going to be doing this for the whole time we are on this mission, what are you going to be doing? I don't think that they would hire someone like you to work here."

"I am going to look around town for odd jobs that fit my skill set. There is a war going on; someone has to have need of a decent metallurgist. I figure we can worry about the details later."

"Whatever. Since you were off doing founder knows what, I have missed breakfast. As my familiar it is your job to rectify this folly."

"With this job I shouldn't have to worry about our finances quite as much. Why don't I treat you to brunch before you have to get back here to start your new job?"

"I hate you sometimes." Obviously she was still not overly fond of the idea of acting like a common waitress.

"And I love you too Louise. Now come on we are wasting daylight."

The duo quietly crept down the stairs and out the front door. Therum really didn't want to have to get caught up cleaning up a mess he couldn't remember making. That and if Scarron had half the headache he had, he doesn't need the added stress of dealing with Louise's temper. Definitely better for everyone that they disappear for the rest of the morning.

***BREAK***

Therum briefly stopped by the slightly neglected stable behind the inn to check on his horse. The stallion was found to have broken down the wall separating his stall from an adjacent one where the sun was shining brightly. Apparently he wanted to do some sun bathing and couldn't be bothered to wait for one of the bipeds .Not wanting to deal with the temperamental animal at such an early hour, Therum threw a little hay into the now enlarged stall and made his way with Louise to one of the small local cafes to grab a bite to eat.

"Why do you put up with that stupid horse Therum? You could buy a much more obedient animal for less than it costs to pay for all the damages he causes."

"I told you when I first got him. He reminds me of a horse from one of the cultural stories of my home country. Besides he is a perfectly fine horse if you know how to deal with him. I think what he really needs is a nice filly to calm him down."

"I must have scrambled your brains a bit when I summoned you."

"Speaking of scrambled, move your butt Louise. I would like to get breakfast out of the way as soon as possible. You have to get back to the inn and get ready for your first night of work, and I still have to find some kind of work for myself."

"In that case, let's eat at the same café that we ate at when I first brought you here. I know you have the coin to afford it and you still owe me an apology for making me wait this morning. Besides, we are supposed to be investigating all the people of the city; we can't do that if we only associate with drunken peasants."

"I somehow think this has more to do with you wanting to eat like a noble than information gathering."

"I have a very complicated stomach. If I don't eat the right foods my brain doesn't work right." Therum silently arched an eyebrow questioningly at his young charge.

"Whatever you say Louise," he chuckled to himself at her antics.

***BREAK***

"Louise this is Jeanne. She has agreed to show you the ropes around here for a couple nights. Please do as she asks and otherwise just follow her lead. And Jeanne, please go easy on Louise she is new to this line of work."

"Alright, but remember you owe me one for this. We normally don't have to teach people how to act around the customers. If she loses me any tips they are coming out of your pocket not mine."

"You women must think that I'm just made of money." He grumbled to himself. "If you two need me for anything I should be back this evening around the time the tavern opens up for business or a little after."

"And where do you think that you are going to be while I am stuck here doing this?"

"I am going to try and find some sort of work for myself. I'm also trying to avoid Scarron at the moment. I don't know how upset he is over what happened last night but I would rather not have to deal with that right now."

Jeanne was going to comment on how she doubted that Scarron would be overly mad over a few broken chairs, considering how much business they did last night, but got distracted by a noise coming from the back room of the tavern. The store owner in question came in from the back carrying an armful of new chairs to replace the one that had been broken the night before. When she turned back around to address Therum, the man was nowhere to be found.

"Has your companion always been this odd or is it a recent development of the war?" She asked Louise.

"He's been different as long as I've known him. If anything he has gotten a bit more serious recently." The pinkette responded with a slightly pensive look.

"If today is him being serious I should probably tell Scarron to keep a closer eye on that man if he starts drinking here again."

"What are you talking about? And how do you know Therum anyway? I don't remember seeing you around before.

"I really only met him last night. He spent a while talking quietly with Scarron before announcing that he had talked his way into free drinks for the whole place. After that he got into a drinking contest with Scarron. With both of them visibly distracted some of the customers got a little bit overly grabby and forceful with us waitresses. One guy in particular was really drunk and tried to make me leave with him if you know what I mean..."

Jeanne thought for a moment that the new girl was impossibly sheltered until she started going pink followed quickly by reddening with anger at how despicable some peasants could be. Unbeknownst to the senior waitress, her story just served as another nail in the coffin for the argument that the commoners need the nobles to keep them in check.

"If Therum hadn't stepped in and knocked him out I would probably be serving as a mistress for that dirty baron right now." Louise sputtered at hearing the latter half of the slightly older girl's comment.

"Therum knocked out a noble for trying to take you to his manor? Why would he do something like that? Surely you would have a more comfortable life at a noble's house than working in this establishment."

"I think I would rather work on my feet than on my back. How would you like to be taken away from your home by a complete stranger and forced to service him with your body at his whim against your will. Sure you may have a nice room and food if the noble feels like it but I have heard stories from other girls who have lived in such a situation and most of them are treated little better than slaves."

"I don't know exactly what your relationship is with Therum but he told me that you are not lovers. I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to be with such a noble man but if you are waiting to make a move you had better move fast. In the city girls will do anything in their power to get someone like him, especially when he is willing to fight nobles for our honor."

"Why should I care about what some girls think of that idiot? If he wants to see other girls what should I care? He can't leave anywhere without me anyway so I have nothing to worry about. If he keeps fighting nobles he is going to wind up in more trouble than even he can handle. Then it won't matter how many common girls love him because it will take a more powerful noble to dig him out." Unknown to Jeanne Louise was thinking of her position as a daughter of Vallière when talking about more connected nobles.

Nearby the town bell tower sounded twice times telling the assorted Fairies that they had only three hours till opening so they had to start getting ready to open.

"You can delude yourself Louise. Right now we need to get you ready to start tonight. Let's go talk to Jessica and see if we can find you a uniform that fits." Not bothering to listen to any complaints from the other girl the veteran waitress dragged her charge to the back of the tavern. Far away a certain redhead felt a great disturbance in the force, and the word _traitor _came to mind.

***BREAK***

Had Louise not been struggling so hard to escape the surprisingly strong grip of the senior fairy, she might have noticed the patch of distorted air move from the front door to the main stairway before quickly disappearing upwards. At the top of the stairs the haze solidified into the recognizable form of Louise's "traitorous" familiar. He chuckled to himself as he pocketed a small silver ring.

He had been given the ring by one of his magic tutors after proving to be absolutely useless at any form of illusion spells. His problem lay in a particularly poor alignment for the particular branch of thaumaturgy. For him it was easier to either conjure or vaporize what needed to appear or disappear than it was to project an image otherwise. As an act of pity the instructor had given Therum the ring to help make up for his shortcoming. The enchantment is fickle anyway. The ring will give you thirty minutes of invisibility if you are standing still or fifteen if you are moving unless you make contact with another person. If you bump into someone the enchantment tries to cover both people and overloads. Therum found out about the defect shortly after getting the ring. One does not sneak around the women's wing of the Venenatus manor at night unless they want to be magically stuck to the ceiling without any clothes.

Once done reminiscing Therum did his best to make himself look like a presentable merchant for his next outing. He decided to forgo wearing the long coat or either sword so as to draw less attention to his self while walking through the town. Louise should be kept busy enough with her new job to be alright for a few hours while he socialized, make that investigated, the rest of the town. As a last minute thought he grabbed his money pouch from one pocket on his coat and his glasses from another before exiting the room via the window to keep from being spotted by Scarron.

Not knowing much else to do while investigating people Therum started walking in the direction of the casino that Louise found the day before. The bad guys always either ran the casinos in the movies or had someone watching them for some reason or another. It really is a shame that his favorite suit got destroyed by that band of zombie nobles, secret agents are always supposed to wear black tailored suits.

As he turned down one of the narrower connecting streets that lead to the casino Therum's musings were cut short by a heavy gust of wind that knocked him into a conveniently placed fruit vender's cart. The proprietor of the cart took in the scene with less shock than one would expect from having a full grown man fly into his cart and destroying his merchandise. Shaking his head he walked away mumbling something about "third time this month" and outrageous insurance rates.

From the direction that Therum had come from, four men with wands approached the temporarily stunned man. The lead man was portly and sporting a blackened eye that had nearly swollen shut.

"Did you really think that a commoner like you would get away with assaulting someone of my stature without consequence?" asked the fat man.

"I think you have the wrong guy my friend. I have barely been in this city twenty four hours so I could not have had the time to wrong you yet. Why don't we meet again in a couple weeks and I am sure that I can be much more deserving of your ire." Therum made a show of wiping off the sticky fruit mess that now stained his clothing as he extracted himself from the remains of the fruit cart.

"Why you insolent peasant! I am Barron Chulenne the tax collector for Her Majesty Queen Henrietta. I could ruin you in an instant for what you have done and nobody would be able to stop me." The portly man pointed to his visible black eye as he ranted.

"Wait, did I give you that nasty looking shiner? I'm sorry about that I drank a lot more last night than I have in years. I think I got a little out of control. If you want I'll give you the coin to have a water mage patch up your eye."

"I think that handing over your entire purse would be a good start. Depending on how much you have on you I may not have to have my friends here beet you too badly." Chulenne sneered greedily while eying Therum's fat looking purse.

"Counter offer. I give you 20G to get your eye healed and you leave me alone be before I do the same to the rest of your fat face."

"I am a triangle wind mage and my guards here are at least line level fire and earth mages. Do you really think that there is anything a commoner like you can do without attacking me from behind again like a coward." The large man's face was steadily gaining a heavy purple color as he spoke.

"But isn't that exactly what you just did to me when you blew me into that guy's fruit stand?" he gestured over his shoulder.

"There is no law forbidding a noble from punishing a commoner who has wronged him in whatever manner they see fit. There is however a lot of laws forbidding a lowly commoner like you from laying hands on someone as important to the crown as I. I could kill you here and now and nobody would say a word about it."

Swifter than the fat man thought possible without magic, Therum crossed the distance between him and Chulenne and decked him with a left hook. The large man landed unconscious with a thud. As one of the Barron's three companions started to pull out his wand, Therum impaled the man's hand with one of the knives he kept concealed up his sleeves. The man screamed looking at the bloody mess that was his hand. Therum twirled his remaining knife while looking at the remaining two mages expectantly. These two seemed to have more sense than their employer because they promptly turned and ran back down the street the way they had come, the bleeding man shortly followed.

Once the underlings were well out of sight Therum turned his attention to Chulenne. Therum casually searched the man's pockets and bag for anything worth having. The man's wallet contained several thousand écus worth of bank drafts, which were pilfered by right of conquest, as well as some sort of official looking identification card. He went ahead and left that alone not seeing any real need for such a thing considering he already had his own official papers if things got really troublesome. Finally there came the man's briefcase. In it were several more bank drafts as well as a number of carefully bundled scrolls.

Therum unrolled one of the scrolls and worked his way through the looping writing and numbers. Apparently it was one of the tax lists for businesses in the city. Therum casually worked through each of the seven scrolls in the bag for no other reason than having nothing else to do. He did note that the Charming Fairies Inn was supposed to be paying 800 écus a quarter for their liquor license but the tax collector had been taking 1200 écus from Scarron since he started the position three years ago. As he continued to read the scrolls he found that nearly every business run by a non-noble paid much higher taxes than they were supposed to, while many nobles pay little to no taxes.

Therum had no real problem with paying taxes seeing as they were essential to the functioning of any government but corruption was something that he could not stand for on any level. He resolved to deliver this information to Henrietta personally as soon as he got a little payback of his own on the man.

He had only done what he was about to attempt a couple of times, but he was confident that it was just like riding a bicycle. The familiar settled into a mild meditative trance as he reached down into the section of his spirit where his magical core lay. He was told that a person's magical core took on a different experience during this exercise for each individual. His looked like a large ball of blue lightning for instance while Alex had described hers as a calming moonlit pond, and Alexander once told Therum that his core resembled what most people imagine hell would look like.

As he looked over his core he noticed a few spots that were darker than they should be from all the recent black magic he had used but they were small and should clear up on their own. Doing the mental equivalent of a few heavy breaths, Therum dove into the center of his core to forcefully reestablish a full connection with his magic instead of waiting weeks for things to sort themselves out on their own.

A natural born magician has such a connection from birth that is all but impossible to sever while awakened mages like Therum had to force the connection making it weaker by definition. For whatever reason, Therum had an especially weak bond with his own core that would break from time to time if he overexerted it. Essentially he had to reset a giant metaphorical circuit breaker if he managed to trip it. Unfortunately for him his raw magic had extreme similarities to pure electricity so establishing the connection has a similar feeling to licking a live outlet. (This shock is what caused Alexander to lose concentration and give Therum the info dump the first time the connection was made.) With the connection reestablished, Therum jolted back to consciousness in the dark little side street.

"I really hate doing that." He said to himself. "I swear it never gets any less painful."

The now repowered mage looked down at the still unconscious form of the fat tax collector. Concentrating for a moment on exactly what he wanted to do Therum banished the man's clothing, save for his undergarments, and started to weave a spell over the man. It was a rather simple spell, more of a cures actually, if you knew how to do it but almost impossible to undo otherwise. Simply put if the fat man lied at all while the spell was active he would be violently electrocuted. Not enough to permanently harm the man but more than enough to get the point across. Therum tied the spell into the man's own core to provide power and set it to dispel itself after three years unless otherwise removed. Therum then scribbled a note on a scrap of paper and left it magically stuck to the man's forehead. His job here done, Therum left a thousand écus on the poor man's fruit stand and merrily teleported away to the room he had used while staying in the palace.

Appearing with a light crack, Therum looked around the comfortable room to make sure that nobody had seen his entrance. Satisfied that his ability to enter the palace undetected remained safe, he happily made his way to the throne room. When he got there he heard voices from the other side talking about finical plans and war planning so he decided to avoid barging in for the time being. Instead he opted for leaving the bundle of scrolls along with a note explaining their contents on the bed. For safety he spelled it with an SEP field keyed to keep everyone but Henrietta away from it. He laughed to himself as he imagined the reaction on her face when she read his note. He teleported away just moments before Agnes, Kistna, and a trio of mage guards burst into the room looking to see who had tripped the intruder wards. Two hours later they concluded that it must have been a glitch and would have to have the whole set redone, though for some reason the whole room smelled of fresh fruit.

***BREAK***

Back at the Charming Fairies Inn Jeanne and Jessica had managed to alter the pure white uniform to fit Louise's diminutive frame while helping to accentuate what little bust line she had. Despite the pink haired noble's protests the two older girls greatly enjoyed getting to dress up such a 'cute little girl' like Louise. They decided that Louise would just shadow Jeanne for the first half of the evening to learn how things are done and if she felt confident she could start handling her own tables later in the night.

Right as the bell tolled five people started pouring into the tavern. Louise tailed Jeanne as she went from table to table taking orders. She was shy and bashful to the old men who gave her assurances and praise at a job well done. She became flirty with the young men who bought expensive wine that they tried to give her to win he favor, and was always somewhere in between with the middle aged workers who just wanted a drink after a long day's labor.

Louise almost called out a number of times when one of the more insistent men would try to touch the other girl in an inappropriate place, but every time she was quieted as the girl would steer them somewhere less offensive. She would let them hold her hand or touch her back or shoulder but would not allow more than a few moments to pass with each touch. Louise shivered at some of the men that the girl let touch her but resolved to put up with what she must in the name of her queen. After a couple of hours, Jeanne pulled Louise back into the kitchen to have a glass of water and see how the younger girl was fairing.

"What do you think Louise? Do you think that you are ready to go out there on your own and make some tips of your own?"

"I'm not sure. You let all of those disgusting men touch you without even trying to tell them to stop. And you are able to remember all of their orders and who ordered them without making a mistake. What if I forget something?"

"I've been doing this for nearly two years Louise. Nobody expects you to get everything right from the very beginning. I can tell you from when I started that Scarron is not going to be upset if you make a mistake as long as you do your best."

"But what if they touch me in an unforgivable place? I won't allow anyone unworthy to lay hands on me."

"Most of the men who come to this place are good people who just want some pleasant conversation before going home to their families. The only ones that you really have to watch out for are the nobles. We can't fight back against them because they can have us arrested or worse if we don't do as they ask. Most of the time Scarron is able to kill enough of their interest that they just leave but twice a noble has become infatuated with one of the girls and steals them away. One eventually came back and was never the same again and the other was never seen around these parts after that. I like to think that she did get a happy ending."

"I can't believe that the princess, I mean Queen would allow something like that to happen. Nobles are supposed to lead and protect the commoners. My Da… Duke from where I come from would never treat the people that work for him poorly unless they commit a crime."

"Things work differently out in the country Louise. Most of the nobles in the city have no problem taking advantage of us pretty young girls, or even some boys, if they are given much of a reason. As far as the Queen is concerned, I doubt that she even knows how bad things in the city are. She is so concerned with appearing perfect and fighting this stupid war that she is clueless to what is going on in the capital city of her own country!"

The chestnut haired young woman stopper her rant to take a drink of water and calm herself before turning her attention back to her strawberry haired trainee.

"That's not really any worry or ours though. Commoners like us just need to keep our heads down and do our jobs. Why don't you just continue to follow along with me for the rest of the night and try to pay close attention to how me and the other girls do things."

"Whatever you think is best Miss Jeanne." Together the two girls went back out into the noisy activity of the tavern. Louise moved on auto pilot as she followed the other girl. She had been given a lot of information to work through that really conflicted with her world view.

***BREAK***

After five hours of dashing to and fro from one table to another Louise was really starting to think that she had underestimated the level of fitness required to be a server. If not for all the training she had received from Therum, she seriously doubted that she would be able to move by this point. It really surprised the Louise that none of the other girls seemed to be any less energetic than they had been at the start of the business.

By this time of night the worst of the crowd had cleared out for the evening leaving mostly a handful of drunks and several regulars who had friendly relationships with one or more of the fairies. More time was spent at each of the tables visited and Louise was introduced to several people that Jeanne regularly waited on. One older man by the name of Reed Jamison spent a fair amount of time reading excerpts from the letters his son had been sending him from boot camp. Apparently his primary instructors happened to be two of the scariest women on the planet. The elder Jamison broke into an especially loud bout laughter when he read about an event that had taken place just a couple days ago. Apparently the Queen herself made an appearance with a number of guests on the training fields. One of her guests said something offensive to the darker haired instructor and had to run for his life crying when the woman decided to attack him.

"He wasn't crying. He was laughing like an idiot with a death wish. He doesn't know how else to act." Louise commented absent mindedly.

"And how might you have come to such a conclusion little miss?" The old man asked as he set the letter down.

"I… I don't know for sure." The pinkette stammered "I would just assume that anybody that would play a joke on someone the queen trusts to train her soldiers would have to be either very brave or an absolute idiot."

"Or maybe the man in question is a brilliant strategist and was working to keep the instructor on her toes through unorthodox tactics," came a familiar tenor from behind Louise.

"I'm afraid that I would have to agree with the little lady on this one son. If the woman in question is half as terrible as these letters say the man must be a fool to rile her up."

"She's probably not nearly as ferocious as she wants people to think she is. I bet if you look really deep down you would find that the woman is a great big softie."

"Or you could find yourself with three feet of steel in your gut." Quipped Jeanne helpfully.

'_More like thirty nine and a quarter inches to be exact but who's counting?' _Therum thought to his self.

"Well it's all just speculation anyway. The only way to know for sure would be to talk to this supposed harpy and find out for our self what she is like."

"You get right on that youngin. I for one am going to stay right here where I am less likely to have a limb violently removed and finish my pint."

"That sounds like a much better course of action. Excuse me miss, would you please fetch me two pints of the finest ale this place has to offer?" Therum deliberately looked passed Jeanne to Louise as he spoke.

"Of course sir; as you wish." Louise left the small group to fetch the requested drinks. She felt it would have been an easier task if it weren't for the mild twitch she had suddenly developed.

"You really shouldn't tease the lass like that son. From what I can tell the girl is a bit out of her depth." Reed chastised the strange young man who had randomly taken a seat at his table once the small girl was out of earshot.

"She's a lot tougher than anyone gives her credit. She even cuts herself short most of the time. By the way, the name's Therum Magnus. Louise and I are new to town and I appreciate you being friendly with her from what I have seen."

"I didn't realize you knew the lass. Though, that does make you propping yourself up in my corner make more sense what with all the empty chairs and all. Names Reed Jamison I'm the local blacksmith in this part of the city."

"It is my pleasure goo sir. Speaking of Louise, how has she been holding up so far tonight Jeanne? She hasn't assaulted anyone or anything has she?"

"Nothing of the sort Therum. She has been a model worker for someone so obviously out of her depth." Chuckled the cheery chestnut fairy.

Louise barely had time to accept payment from Therum before being drug away to another table by Jeanne. Jeanne promised to come back and chat more with the man after they closed for the night.

"You do realize that anyone with a brain is going to catch on pretty quick that that girl is no commoner right?" The older man stated once the girls were out of earshot. "Her whole demeanor and the way she carries herself are too polished to be a farmer's daughter, but she doesn't have the skill set to have been raised as a servant in a noble's manor. If I had to guess I'd place her as the daughter of some very recently fallen noble. Unless there is something more to your relationship with that girl than you let on." He gave Therum a sly wink.

"I can assure you that Louise and I are friends and traveling companions and nothing more. We have been forced to move from our previous place of residence into this city because of the war. All we want to do is do our jobs and stay out of trouble." Which for the most part was true, it's not their fault if people come to incorrect conclusions.

Reed didn't seem so sure of the validity of Therum's story but it wasn't really his problem. As long as the man didn't cause any trouble for his business Reed really didn't care what his real story was.

"What exactly is it that you do mister Therum? From the look and smell of you I would hazard that you are some kind of produce merchant." Therum took a moment to figure out what the man was talking about before remembering the scuffle from earlier. He never got around to washing all of the fruit stains off of his clothes.

"No not really. I'm actually a metallurgist by trade. The fruit stains are from a misunderstanding I had with a man earlier today. Fortunately we were able to come to an agreement of sorts by the end of our interaction."

"And this agreement took you until this late in the evening to reach? I imagine that those must have been some kind of talks."

"No not really. The actual incident only took a little over an hour to work through from beginning to end. I spent most of the rest of the day trying to get my affairs in order while trying to find some kind of work. Apparently my accent is too similar to someone from Albion so they all assumed that I was some sort of spy or something. The absurdity of such accusations, everyone knows that spies all run around in evening wear."

"They would have a point lad. If I were to have guessed I would assume that you were from that island myself."

"Where I come from is a fair bit further away than the coast of the floating country. Far enough away in fact that I doubt I shall see it again in this lifetime. As such I have little interest in either side of this war save to protect those I have become fond of in my time in this country."

"I like the way you think boy." The older man clapped Therum on the back. "I'll make a deal with you. Come by my shop tomorrow around nine and we'll see if you have any worth to me. I may not care much about the intricacies of war but I do know that they are good for business. With my son being drafted I could use an extra set of hands to keep up with orders."

"That is very kind of you Mr. Jamison. I will see you in the morning then. I believe that you will be more than happy with my work." Therum got up from the table and made his way up to the room that he shared with Louise.

As soon as he got back into the room he collapsed on the bed with a pained grunt. In retrospect he should have waited a couple more weeks before reconnecting with his core. His magic was still far too turbulent to be using yet and he was paying the price. Never the less, he considered the discomfort to be worth ruining someone as corrupt as Chulenne. Henrietta should have found his note by now and the man should be out of power within the next few days.

Putting politics aside, Therum was rather happy with how things were playing out. Louise was doing far better than expected at her new job and he had found something to keep himself busy while he prepared for the coming storm. He still needed time to get back up to full strength before diving back into the thick of things. As it stood he didn't have enough power at the moment to undo the lockdown on his workshop, despite trying every way of entry short of explosives, let alone recall all of his possessions from limbo while forcing a new connection to his pocket dimension.

Working at the old blacksmith's forge would provide the perfect cover to subtly use small bits of magic and build back up his power without Louise finding out. He dreaded the day that the tiny girl found out that he had somewhat lied to her about losing his magic. Then again she would never have agreed to get a job if she knew that her servant was still capable of transmuting gold and diamonds out of essentially nothing. Hopefully she would understand by the end of their time here that this was all for her own good.

At some point the man must have dozed off because the next thing he knew the door to the room slammed open to reveal a rather weary looking Louise de la Vallière. She didn't even bother to spare her familiar a word before retrieving her wand from where she had hidden it under her uniform and swept him off the bed with a flourish. Then she promptly collapsed onto the bed still fully dressed.

"I take it you had a good day at work then?" Therum deadpanned from his new spot on the floor.

"So tired. How do you commoners do this on a daily basis?"

"You get used to it after a while I assure you. Now why don't you get yourself cleaned up while I go fetch you something to eat?"

"Nunngh!"

"I'll take that as an affirmation then. I'll be back shortly." He quietly made his way back down to the kitchen where the rest of the wait staff was gathered to have their evening meal and otherwise unwind after a long night's work. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen he was immediately latched onto by Jeanne.

"This is the guy that I was telling you all about earlier. He's the one traveling with the new girl and broke up that nasty fight last night." The chestnut haired beauty yelled while dragging the man into the group of girls, which immediately set off a whirlwind of gossip.

"Wasn't he the one that was arm wrestling with Mi Mademoiselle?"

"No I thought he was the one that started that fight in the first place."

"No he is the guy that punched that nasty fish faced Barron out the door last night."

"I think you're right. He knocked out that nasty man and spent the next couple hours buying her drinks and flirting. If memory serves they disappeared upstairs sometime after midnight."

They all looked at the girl in question who turned a bright shade of scarlet and failed to meet any of their gazes head on. Therum who had been ignoring the gossip while dishing out a serving of stew for Louise and himself decided to make a strategic withdrawal while the girls were distracted. By the time they discovered his disappearance he had long since made it to the safety of the stairs.

"See what you did now Jessica! You scared him off before I could even introduce him properly." Jeanne frowned at the owner's daughter.

"You have told us all night long how brave and kind he is. How was I supposed to know that a little teasing would send him running like that?" The surprisingly attractive young woman shot back.

"I think he's just a bit shy when sober. But that isn't what is important. I found out this morning that he is indeed traveling with Louise but according to him they are not romantically involved. That means that he is fair game for any of us who want to try and snag such a desirable guy." Jeanne's eyes burned with the fire of moe.

"They're probably not together because he is her servant or something. If you listen to that girl talk there is no way that she isn't a noble. There's no way that he would want to leave her just to be with a common bar girl." A blonde girl by the name of Marlene commented.

"Maybe, and maybe not, if he were so attached to her he would not have left for the entire day without checking in on her. He probably would have taken a job here as the dish washer or something. I think that all he needs is someone to show him some actual affection and he would eventually return it a dozen fold."

"Well next week is the annual tip contest. We could always make it a tip and affection contest. The first prize will still be the enchanted family bustier which will be sure to cement the winner in his heart. But there will have to be some ground rules, the first of which being no getting him drunk and taking advantage of him." The dark haired girl glanced at Jeanne who blushed. "After that the rest are pretty simple…"

Therum shivered as a sense of foreboding washed over him almost making him spill the soup he was spooning to the now clean Louise. Fortunately he managed to steady himself enough to avoid staining his last remaining Earth made dress shirt. The girl had claimed it to sleep in citing that she could not sleep with the course materials of the bedding against her skin. Besides, it made her look like a younger sibling playing dress up and the man had always wanted a little sister.

After both finished their "commoner" meal, Therum made sure the girl was as comfortable as possible before slumping down on the floor. His last thought before finally falling asleep was of his missing memory foam mattress.

***BREAK***

Several miles away another figure was preparing for bed when she noticed a stack of scrolls sitting at the foot of her bed. Apparently her work never ends. As tired as she was she decided to set aside what just looked like another set of tax reports to be dealt with tomorrow. What difference would a few hours possibly make for such a trivial matter?

**A/N: I hope that this chapter cleared up some confusion from earlier chapters without adding too much more. Louise has taken her first real steps to realization that not all commoners are worthless and many nobles are more corrupt than she previously thought. If anybody has any thoughts, questions, suggestions, or concerns, feel free to drop a PM or review and I will do my best to accommodate you. **


End file.
